SOUTH INDIAN LUNCH BECOMES OPPOSITION’S WAR ROOM AFTER ELECTION COMMISSION SHOWDOWN

 
October 8, 2026

Around 100 INDIA bloc MPs gathered at Sagar Ratna on Delhi’s Janpath on Wednesday for an impromptu lunch meeting, turning the South Indian restaurant into an informal gathering point for the Opposition a day after their confrontation with police during a protest against the Election Commission.

The lunch was organised at short notice after police had disrupted the Opposition’s march towards the Election Commission. The restaurant’s management said the booking was made the previous night and that the MPs were accommodated after an earlier reservation. With the surrounding road closed by police, the lawmakers effectively became the restaurant’s only customers during the gathering.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other INDIA bloc leaders were among those present. Leaders from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, VCK and Indian Union Muslim League were seen at the restaurant.

The Samajwadi Party was notably absent. Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh said the alliance parties had been invited, but the decision had been taken late the previous night, making it difficult for some parties to attend.

The meeting came amid escalating Opposition pressure over the functioning of the Election Commission and its demand for action concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. After lunch, the MPs left the restaurant and moved towards Jantar Mantar, continuing their political mobilisation following the previous day’s protest and detentions.

For the INDIA bloc, the gathering at Sagar Ratna thus became more than a routine meal, serving as a brief meeting point for Opposition leaders before they resumed their confrontation with the government and the poll authorities on the streets of the national capital.