INDIA Bloc Organizes Back-to-Back Lunches to Press for CEC's Resignation

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge invited Opposition MPs for lunch at Moets in Connaught Place on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 1.45 pm. This follows a previous lunch meet at Sagar Ratna in Janpath that led to a street protest by INDIA bloc MPs. The back-to-back invites aim to keep pressure on the government while the alliance campaigns for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign over voter roll issues.

Protests and Detentions

Sources stated that a protest would follow the Thursday lunch, with more MPs and parties, including the Samajwadi Party, expected to join. On Tuesday, INDIA bloc MPs marched toward the Election Commission before police stopped them near Windsor Place. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mamata TMC's Derek O'Brien, CPIM's John Brittas, and CPI's Sandosh Kumar participated. During the demonstration, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lay on the road holding a copy of the Constitution, while Rahul Gandhi stated the protests would continue until Gyanesh Kumar steps down. Police detained the protesting MPs both on Tuesday and Wednesday before releasing them later.

Alliance Dynamics

While the lunch meetings signal unity, some friction exists among the opposition parties. Certain allies felt Tuesday's sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan by the Gandhi siblings became a sole Rahul Gandhi event, prompting senior Congress leaders to clarify the move was unplanned. Meanwhile, the DMK and AAP have stayed away from the protests, and the Samajwadi Party missed Wednesday's lunch due to prior departures from Delhi, though alliance tensions over Uttar Pradesh seat-sharing also exist.

Context

The Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls is a periodic administrative process conducted by the Election Commission to update electoral lists. Opposition parties frequently use street demonstrations and parliamentary coordination in New Delhi to press the ruling government for accountability on institutional and electoral matters.