Trade Talks and Opposition Strategy and the Race in the Rajya Sabha

The key political event of the day starts out with ongoing India-USA trade talks in New Delhi. Earlier, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced that work on the clearance of all the modalities for the proposed trade pact is already highly advanced and the two sides are in the process of resolving the remaining issues. Dialogue is important because it may have an impact on relations of world's top two as well as fifth largest economies in terms of trade, investment and economic relations.

Meanwhile, the opposition' politics is becoming visible too. The INDIA alliance is scheduled to hold its next meeting on June 6 when it will deliberate on its future operational framework, coordination between opposition parties and reaction to the BJP's recent bright political night. According to sources, the meeting is likely to discuss ways to further unite opposition forces and organize the next political moves.

Another significant development in the political arena is that the process of selecting the candidates for two Rajya Sabha seats has started and the NDA and INDIA fronts are weeding out the contenders further. Observers are on the case with these decisions as they can affect the balance of power and alliances in Parliament in the future.