The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced plans for nationwide protests from October 2 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by Saturday.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the party would begin its agitation in Mumbai on October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, before expanding the protest to other cities across the country. Dipke made the announcement through a post on X on Friday.The announcement follows Dipke’s earlier demand for Kumar’s resignation. He had also threatened to launch a protest campaign described as “Jantar Mantar 2.0” if the demand was not accepted.
The CJP’s protest call comes amid an ongoing political controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Dipke has alleged that the electoral process is being compromised and has questioned the decision of opposition parties to continue participating in elections while making allegations of irregularities.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that decisions, including those concerning the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously and had the approval of all three Election Commissioners. The poll panel’s position contrasts with the allegations being raised by Dipke and other critics of the electoral process.With October 2 approaching, the CJP’s announcement adds another dimension to the ongoing debate over the Election Commission and the revision of electoral rolls. The proposed protests will indicate the extent to which the issue translates into street-level mobilisation across different parts of the country.
