Shabana Azmi, Vishal Dadlani, Naseeruddin Shah and other Bollywood celebs turn up to support CJP protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) held a protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday, October 2, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral process. Several Bollywood personalities, including Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Dadlani and filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, joined the demonstration.

Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and others join CJP protest

The CJP protest was held amid a wider debate over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns raised by the organisation over voting rights and the election process. The group has been demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

Among the film personalities seen at the protest were veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, singer-composer Vishal Dadlani, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and actor Atul Kulkarni. Reports also said several other people from the film industry extended their support to the demonstration.




Shabana had earlier urged people to join the Mumbai protest through a video on Instagram and later addressed the gathering at Shivaji Park. Speaking about the reason for her participation, she said the issue was about democracy, people's rights and their right to raise their voices.

According to ANI, the actress said, "This is a question of our democracy. It is a question of our rights. It is a question of our voice. We have been told since childhood to cast our votes, claim our rights, and raise our voices. But when our fundamental right is snatched away or manipulated, what is a person supposed to do? Naturally, they will protest, and this ‘people’s power’ is unstoppable now."

She also spoke about the power of public participation, saying that once people begin raising their voices, such movements can spread.

Vishal Dadlani had also publicly backed the protest before joining the gathering. He had urged people to participate in the demonstration and raised slogans against Gyanesh Kumar.

Dia Mirza, Konkona Sen Sharma also extend support

Support for the protest was not limited to those who attended the gathering in person. Actors Dia Mirza and Konkona Sen Sharma also expressed their support through social media.

The participation of several well-known names from the film industry brought additional attention to the CJP demonstration. Naseeruddin Shah was also seen interacting with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke at the protest.

The demonstration took place despite reports that the police had not granted permission for the gathering. Thousands of people reportedly gathered at Shivaji Park, with the protest focusing on the CJP's demand for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

The protest was part of the CJP's wider campaign over alleged irregularities in the electoral process. The organisation has also announced plans to continue its agitation in other parts of the country.

Javed Akhtar reacts to Shivaji Park controversy

Meanwhile, writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar took to X (formerly Twitter) and commented on the controversy surrounding the choice of Shivaji Park as the protest venue.

Some residents in the area had raised objections to the demonstration, citing concerns about noise, disruption and the impact of the gathering on the neighbourhood. He said he welcomed residents raising such concerns but questioned whether they would make similar objections when political parties organise public gatherings at the same venue.

The CJP protest was not restricted to Mumbai. In Delhi, members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), along with opposition leaders, also held demonstrations near Jantar Mantar, demanding the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.