Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Invites INDIA Bloc MPs for Lunch to Coordinate Protest Strategy

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has invited INDIA bloc MPs for lunch in New Delhi’s Connaught Place, marking the third consecutive day of opposition meetings aimed at coordinating a campaign and subsequent street protests.

The gathering follows back-to-back lunch events held earlier in the week. Opposition sources indicated that a protest strategy would be finalized during the meal, with additional parliamentarians and parties, including the Samajwadi Party, expected to participate. The ongoing demonstrations are part of the opposition’s campaign demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over issues related to the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.

The protests have included high-profile demonstrations earlier in the week. On Tuesday, opposition MPs marched toward the Election Commission, resulting in police detentions after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises. A subsequent march on Wednesday was halted near Windsor Place by police, leading to further detentions. During Wednesday’s demonstration, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sat on the road holding a copy of the Constitution, while Rahul Gandhi stated that the protests would continue until Gyanesh Kumar steps down.

While the lunch meetings are intended to project opposition unity, underlying tensions persist among alliance members. Some opposition leaders privately expressed concern that Tuesday’s sit-in overshadowed other parties, though senior Congress leaders clarified that the Akashvani Bhavan demonstration was unplanned.

Several regional parties have maintained distance from the current campaign. The DMK and the AAP have stayed out of the protests, with the AAP currently weighing its options amid an upcoming electoral contest against the Congress in Punjab. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party, which participated in Tuesday’s march but missed Wednesday’s lunch, attributed its absence to scheduling issues and leaders leaving Delhi, while denying any link to ongoing seat-sharing discussions for Uttar Pradesh elections.