2 camps, 2 punchlines: Gyanesh Kumar faces ‘It's done, bro’; BJP loyalists call protests a ‘flop show’

Strict traffic restrictions remained in force across key parts of Delhi on Sunday, as police maintained heightened security for a second consecutive day following fresh protest calls by the Cockroach Janta Party.

The demonstrations centre on demands for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The political confrontation has also spilled onto social media, where rival groups are using competing slogans to mobilise support and challenge each other's claims about the protests.

‘It's done, bro’: Viral slogan targets poll chief

The campaign against Gyanesh Kumar has gained traction around the viral phrase ‘it's done, bro’, which signals that Kumar's tenure should come to an end.

Originating from a popular internet meme, the catchphrase has been adopted by opposition parties and civil society groups to demand the commissioner's removal. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi used the phrase in a social media post before leading an opposition march from Parliament towards the Election Commission office in Delhi.

Protesters carried placards calling for Kumar to step down, citing concerns over electoral roll revisions, changes to voter registration forms and alleged irregularities within the election machinery.

The demonstrations subsequently spread to other parts of the country. In Bengaluru, a civil society gathering at Freedom Park drew prominent figures, including Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj.

Satirical youth groups also joined the campaign, using chants and online messaging to amplify demands for the poll chief's removal.

Ruling party supporters counter with ‘flop show’ slogan

The protests have prompted a counter-campaign by critics and ruling-BJP supporters, who have described the mobilisation as a failure.

Senior ruling party leaders have argued that the physical turnout at rallies fell well short of the expectations created by online campaigning. They claimed that attendance at regional demonstrations remained below 2,000.

The phrase ‘flop show’ has become the central slogan of the counter-campaign, with supporters using it to question the scale and impact of the protests.

The rival campaigns have turned social media into another arena for political confrontation, with both sides seeking to shape public perceptions of the demonstrations.

Detentions and political accusations intensify row

When the youth movement attempted a major demonstration at Jantar Mantar intended to bring city operations to a halt, law enforcement officers detained over 7,000 participants and politicians. Following the detentions, ruling party figures, including Sambit Patra and Ravi Shankar Prasad, declared that constitutional democracy had prevailed over what they described as mob rule. They accused opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal of orchestrating unrest with external allies. They also drew comparisons with historical traitors and alleged that the youth movement was acting as a political front for the opposition.