New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced a nationwide campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation and raising objections to the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
CJP national coordinator Abhijeet Deepke announced the proposed agitation at a press conference in Delhi on Thursday. He said the party would begin a nationwide campaign against the Election Commission if Kumar did not resign within 48 hours. The party also announced plans for a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, described by it as “Jantar Mantar 2.0”.
Dipke, along with national co-coordinators Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka, raised allegations concerning the Election Commission, the BJP and the Central government. The leaders also questioned aspects of the ongoing electoral-roll revision process.
The CJP placed three principal demands before the Election Commission and the government.
First, it demanded Kumar’s resignation, along with a criminal investigation into decisions taken during his tenure and an inquiry into whether he was acting on instructions from any other authority.
Second, the party called for an immediate halt to upcoming elections, restoration of the electoral rolls as they stood in January 2024, and suspension of the SIR process. It also called for all files related to SIR to be secured by the Supreme Court.
Third, the CJP demanded repeal of the 2023 law that provides legal protection to election commissioners from certain proceedings and sought a new legal framework involving civil society participation.
During the press conference, Dipke used strong language to criticise the Chief Election Commissioner and alleged that the functioning of the electoral system had undermined democratic rights. These statements represent the CJP’s political position and were not independently established during the announcement.
The proposed agitation comes amid a wider political debate over SIR, electoral-roll management and reported differences within the Election Commission. The Election Commission has maintained that major decisions, including those concerning SIR, have been taken through the Commission’s established decision-making process.
The CJP said it would begin expanding its campaign across the country if its demands were not addressed within the stipulated 48-hour period.
