‘Gyanesh Kumar must resign’: CJP plans protests across India, security tightened nationwide
New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and warned of protests across the country if he does not step down. The CJP plans to begin its agitation in Mumbai on October 2 and hold a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar from the end of October if its demand is not met.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of irregularities in the electoral process.
The CJP plans to hold a protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on October 2, seeking Kumar’s resignation. Dipke said the organisation would continue its agitation and would not stop its campaign if the CEC remained in office.
Mumbai Police has denied permission for the proposed gathering, citing restrictions governing assemblies at Shivaji Park, the absence of required civic permission and concerns over traffic and the movement of emergency vehicles.
Nationwide protests planned
CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde said protests would also be organised in Goa, Bengaluru, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Patna and Ranchi.
According to Shinde, if Kumar does not resign, the CJP plans to take its protest to Jantar Mantar in Delhi from the end of October.
Dipke also said the CJP would not participate in the Opposition parties’ planned October 6 protest against the Election Commission. He said the CJP would maintain its campaign as an independent movement.
Dipke called for greater transparency in the appointment process for the Chief Election Commissioner and said civil society should have a role in the process.
He also demanded that the 2025 voter list be frozen, arguing that it should not be altered further. His comments come amid an ongoing political dispute over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Opposition parties have also criticised Kumar over the SIR exercise and have demanded his resignation.
Election Commission's position
The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months regarding certain decisions and orders, including some they said had been issued without their knowledge.
The Election Commission subsequently said the three-member commission had taken all decisions, including those concerning SIR, unanimously.
The allegations made by Dipke and other Opposition figures remain part of an ongoing political dispute. The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that decisions relating to SIR were taken without agreement among the commissioners.
Security tightened at Dadar station
Ahead of the CJP's proposed October 2 protest, railway authorities have strengthened security at Dadar station, which is among the busiest stations in Mumbai and is located close to Shivaji Park.
Central Railway has deployed around 40 additional personnel, including Railway Protection Force staff, while Western Railway has deployed around 50 additional staff and RPF personnel.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) have separately announced a protest march against the Election Commission in Mumbai on October 4.
The planned CJP protests come amid a broader political dispute over electoral-roll revisions, the functioning of the Election Commission and the appointment of election commissioners.
The immediate issue is the CJP's demand for Kumar's resignation and its allegations concerning the electoral process. The Election Commission, however, maintains that decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously by its three-member panel.
The proposed protests also come alongside separate Opposition demonstrations, although the CJP has said it will not join the October 6 political programme. The competing positions are expected to keep the debate over electoral-roll revisions and the Election Commission in focus in the coming weeks.