The Bharat Summit 2026 opened in Hyderabad on Thursday, bringing together more than 1,000 delegates from 70 countries for three days of debate under the slogan "Forging a New World". The conference, organised by the Telangana government, runs from 12 to 14 November at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) and HITEX.
The summit is being held in the year marking 80 years of Indian independence and the 137th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, and it pairs the main summit with the Telangana Rising conference at HITEX.
Day one: arrivals, site visits and a welcome dinner
On the opening day, delegates are arriving through the day. Between 1 pm and 6 pm, they will visit the state Assembly, employment guarantee scheme work sites and historical and political sites across the city. Special think tank meetings are scheduled for the afternoon.
The day closes with a welcome dinner at 7 pm, where state ministers will be joined by senior leaders including Salman Khurshid, Sam Pitroda, Shashi Tharoor and Praniti Shinde. A Carnatic music performance and a handicrafts exhibition are also part of the evening programme.
Day two: a plenary on the new world order
On Friday, 13 November, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Salman Khurshid will speak at a 10.30 am plenary titled "Navigating the New World Order: View from India". An expo at 11.30 am will mark 140 years of the Congress party, the Right to Information and the employment guarantee.
The afternoon brings international sessions on artificial intelligence, cloud capitalism, climate change, reform of multilateral institutions and gender equality. Economist Thomas Piketty will join online, and Jayati Ghosh, former Netherlands minister Bert Koenders and Renuka Chowdhury will also take part. Telangana Rising sessions at HITEX will cover the Future City project, economic and social justice, and the state's welfare schemes.
Valedictory on Saturday: Rahul Gandhi to deliver the keynote
On Saturday, 14 November, discussions will cover the federal system, Telangana culture, electoral integrity, the future of media and world peace. The valedictory session, "Delivering Global Justice", runs from 3 pm to 5 pm.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will welcome the gathering, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi will deliver the keynote addresses. The summit will launch the "Our World Institute" and adopt a summit resolution. The conference ends on 15 November with bilateral meetings.
A gathering of scale
Organisers expect more than 1,000 delegates from 70 countries at the three day event, a scale that places the Hyderabad gathering among the largest political conferences hosted by a state government in recent years. The programme mixes global debate with a showcase of Telangana's governance record, from welfare schemes to the Future City plan.
For the host state, the summit is both a platform and a statement: a claim to a place in the global conversation on justice, democracy and development, made from Hyderabad over three days of sessions, expos and cultural events.
