Cockroach Janata Party sets October 10 protest deadline for election chief

The Cockroach Janata Party has announced plans for a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign. Party convenor Abhijit Dipke announced the proposed action in a post on X. He said “cockroaches from across India” would march to Delhi and described the planned demonstration as peaceful.

Dipke said the party would follow the path associated with Mahatma Gandhi and challenged the government and Delhi Police to respect the right to peaceful protest. He also referred to what he called brutality during an earlier protest on July 20. The announcement followed a CJP demonstration outside Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 2.

The party says it is protesting alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and opposing the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise. Among its demands are Kumar’s resignation, criminal proceedings to establish who authorised the revision, a freeze on the process and restoration of the January 2025 voters’ list. The party also wants the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners repealed and replaced with a more transparent system involving civil society.

The report said more than 500 people, including former Delhi chief minister Atishi, were detained by Delhi Police during a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. It did not specify when that detention took place beyond linking it to the wider demonstrations. The CJP’s October 10 plan remains conditional on the Chief Election Commissioner not resigning.

The source material does not include a response from Kumar, the Election Commission or Delhi Police to the party’s allegations and demands. The proposed action adds to political opposition around the electoral-roll revision, which has also prompted individual voters and activists to seek explanations for deletions from the rolls.