Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 3: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has announced a fresh protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign.
Dipke made the announcement on Friday night after leading a large demonstration at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, where thousands gathered despite police denying permission for the protest. He said supporters from across India would march to Delhi and hold a peaceful agitation, urging citizens seeking free and fair elections to join the protest.
Earlier, addressing the Shivaji Park gathering, Dipke warned of "Jantar Mantar 2.0" if Kumar did not step down and called for a "Chalo Delhi" campaign.
CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde demanded Kumar's resignation and criminal proceedings against him. He also called for the 2025 voter lists to be frozen and for the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.
Addressing the gathering, Dipke alleged that large numbers of voters had been deleted from electoral rolls and accused the BJP of benefiting from alleged irregularities. He claimed that 13 crore voters had been deleted over two years and alleged that voter additions and deletions had affected electoral outcomes in Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. These claims were made by the CJP and have not been independently established.
Dipke also alleged that the ruling BJP was seeking to weaken regional parties and criticised the proposal for simultaneous elections, claiming that its objective was "One Nation, One Election, One Party". He said Maharashtra was chosen as the starting point of the CJP's campaign because, according to the party, alleged irregularities in electoral rolls began there.
The protest also saw participation from veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Hansal Mehta, singer-composer Vishal Dadlani and Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi. Student groups including the Students' Federation of India and All India Students' Federation also participated.
Protesters carrying the national flag raised slogans demanding Kumar's resignation and displayed placards targeting the Chief Election Commissioner. Some participants used unconventional props and slogans, while groups from Pune brought musical instruments to the gathering.
The protest was held on Gandhi Jayanti and featured quotations on non-violence and simplicity, along with tributes to Dr B R Ambedkar. Songs including the title track of Rang De Basanti and A R Rahman's Vande Mataram were played during the demonstration.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) extended support to the agitation. Local MLA Mahesh Sawant said party leader Aaditya Thackeray could not attend as he was unwell.
CJP leader Saurav Das criticised Delhi Police over the detention of protesters during the earlier Jantar Mantar agitation, while communist activist Shailesh Kamble said several Left-affiliated organisations participated in the Mumbai demonstration.
The CJP's latest announcement comes amid continuing political controversy over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Commission has faced allegations from opposition parties and protest groups over the process, while the Election Commission has rejected claims of wrongdoing.