Rapid Action Force personnel, Delhi Police teams, barricades and surveillance vehicles were deployed along Janpath and around the market area. Footpaths were cordoned off and traffic diverted near the restaurant, while buses were stationed outside the venue amid concerns that opposition leaders could make a sudden move towards Nirvachan Sadan or Jantar Mantar.
Two floors of the restaurant had been booked for the meeting. The heightened security came a day after a confrontation between protesting opposition MPs and police, when lawmakers marching from Parliament towards the Election Commission were stopped near Akashvani Bhawan. Several hundred protesters were detained, while Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi remained at the police facility before being released later in the evening.
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The 1.30 pm luncheon was organised as part of the INDIA bloc’s week-long campaign against the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and allegations of “vote chori”. Leaders were expected to discuss the next phase of the campaign, including renewed demands for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a proposed letter seeking an appointment with the poll panel.
VIDEO | Delhi: Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge hosts a lunch for INDIA bloc MPs at Sagar Ratna restaurant on Janpath.
Kharge says, “We will continue this protest. The repeated wrongs being committed by the Election Commission and those being made to happen by Modi ji mean that they are trying to end democracy in this country. They do not listen to the Constitution either. Therefore, we have decided that the voice of the people should reach the entire country. That is our work.”
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 7, 2026
“Lunch toh hoga hi, launch bhi ho sakta hai,” RJD MP Manoj Jha said, hinting at possible action emerging from the meeting.
Several opposition MPs arrived at the restaurant, including Charanjit Singh Channi, Imran Masood, Manickam Tagore, P. Santhosh and Sudhakar Singh. Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal, independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien and IUML’s Haris Beeran were also reported to be attending. CPI and CPI(M) leaders, including P. Sandosh Kumar and V. Sivadasan, were among those present.
Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji called upon the INDIA alliance leaders at Sagar Ratna Restaurant, New Delhi.
After that, Delhi Police & RAF waiting outside and two buses are stationed outside.
Darr accha lga 🔥 https://t.co/lU4zRfklxl
— Arpit Srivastava (@congressispeaks) October 7, 2026
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were also expected to join the meeting.
The gathering was the bloc’s second major joint sitting after its September 30 meeting, which finalised plans for the October 6 march to the Election Commission and a wider “save democracy” campaign.
With routes towards Nirvachan Sadan again restricted, security was also tightened around Akashvani Bhawan. The choice of an all-vegetarian South Indian restaurant drew political jibes from the BJP, while the DMK’s absence highlighted continuing strains within the opposition alliance.
Despite those differences, Wednesday’s meeting was intended to project a coordinated front against the Election Commission over the contentious voter-list revision.
