CJP announces 10 October Delhi protest if CEC Gyanesh Kumar does not resign

1. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced a 10 October protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar if CEC Gyanesh Kumar does not resign.

2. The announcement followed a large CJP rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral-roll revision.

3. The CJP plans to extend its agitation to other cities, while the Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

After leading a large demonstration at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday, 3 October announced another protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on 10 October if the poll chief does not step down.

'If Gyanesh Kumar doesn't resign, cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi and protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10,' Dipke said in a post on X, adding that the agitation would be peaceful and urging citizens who want free and fair elections to join it.

Addressing thousands of protesters at Shivaji Park earlier in the day, Dipke had warned of 'Jantar Mantar 2.0' if Kumar did not resign and called for a 'Chalo Delhi' campaign.

The CJP demonstration went ahead despite Mumbai Police denying permission for the gathering. Young protesters turned up in large numbers despite the afternoon heat and extensive barricading around Shivaji Park and the surrounding Dadar area.

CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde demanded that Kumar resign and face criminal proceedings. He also called for the 2025 electoral rolls to be frozen and for the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners to be repealed.

The CJP's campaign centres on allegations of irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands greater transparency in the appointment of the chief election commissioner. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and said major decisions, including those relating to SIR, were taken unanimously by the full commission.

Dipke alleged that voter deletions had helped the BJP win states it could not have won even at the height of the "Narendra Modi wave". He claimed that 13 crore voters had been deleted from electoral rolls over two years and alleged that the appointment of Kumar shortly before the 2024 Lok Sabha election was intended to widen the BJP-led NDA's electoral advantage.

He also alleged that 40 lakh voters were added to Maharashtra's electoral rolls ahead of the 2024 Assembly election, which he described as evidence of "vote theft". The BJP and Election Commission have rejected allegations of electoral manipulation.

Dipke cited other alleged instances of voter deletions, including in Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, claiming that deletions had affected the electoral prospects of opposition leaders. These claims were made at the rally and were not independently established there.

Taking a swipe at the argument that opposition parties had also won elections in states such as Telangana, Karnataka and Jharkhand, Dipke said: "When the match is fixed, not all balls are no-balls and not all catches are dropped."

He also accused the BJP of attempting to weaken regional parties, citing the political upheavals involving the Shiv Sena and NCP in Maharashtra. He described the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as a "shell company".

The CJP chose Maharashtra as the starting point of its campaign, Dipke said, because the alleged electoral irregularities had first become particularly visible in the state. The party has announced plans to take its campaign to other cities, including Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata, before another mobilisation in Delhi.

The protest drew support from several prominent figures from the film and cultural world. Actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Hansal Mehta, singer-composer Vishal Dadlani and Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, were among those associated with the demonstration.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) also extended support to the agitation. Its local MLA Mahesh Sawant said party leader Aaditya Thackeray could not attend because he was unwell.

Despite opposition from some local residents and heavy police deployment extending towards Dadar station, protesters filled the area with slogans, placards and references to Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar.

Placards carried messages including 'Gyanu, tujha democracy var bharosa nay kaye?', 'Gyanesh BRO, JUST RESIGN' and 'Gaddar Gyaanu must go'. Student groups, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI), and Left-affiliated organisations participated in the demonstration.

The protest also retained the CJP's distinctive mix of political messaging and humour. A student, Manish Mandal, wore jewellery made from Melody chocolate wrappers while carrying a banner referring to "fraud detergent powder". Groups affiliated with the All India Students' Federation (AISF) from Pune played musical instruments during the demonstration.

Held on Gandhi Jayanti, the event featured quotations on non-violence and simplicity alongside tributes to Ambedkar. Songs including the title track of Rang De Basanti and A.R. Rahman's Vande Mataram were also played.

CJP leader Saurav Das meanwhile criticised Delhi Police over the detention of protesters during the July demonstration at Jantar Mantar. "Delhi Police has again resorted to brutality. We warn Delhi Police to improve or we will improve you," Das said.

The 10 October announcement came even as the CJP's Mumbai protest coincided with a separate mobilisation in Delhi. Opposition parties, Left organisations and civil society groups held demonstrations against the Election Commission and SIR in the capital on Friday, with hundreds detained by police.