Cockroach Janta Party backs INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally, demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday extended its support to the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally in Delhi, adding its voice to the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared the announcement on X, with the line “GYANU MUST GO!” and the words “Nation above all!”. The post carries a statement from the movement.

The statement says the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has raised “serious concerns” about eligible voters being removed from the lists. It argues that people choose their government, and the government does not get to choose its voters.


It says Kumar has “lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections”. His resignation is “therefore necessary”, it adds, to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission.

The statement recalls that B R Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and the other framers of the Constitution gave every adult citizen an equal right to vote. It says the Election Commission’s job is to protect that right and not create hurdles in exercising it. The CJP says it will “support all organisations fighting for free and fair elections”, and the statement ends with “Jai Bhim. Jai Hind.”

The INDIA bloc has planned the rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1 as part of its campaign against alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls and its demand for Kumar’s removal, PTI reported. The Congress has received permission from Delhi Police to hold the rally.

The opposition is also considering another round of protests against Kumar in early November, after the rally. Opposition parties allege that the SIR has led to the removal of millions of eligible voters’ names from the rolls. PTI reported that they have demanded that the exercise be suspended and that the names of wrongly removed voters be restored. They have also sought Kumar’s resignation and the repeal of a 2023 law that gives the CEC and other Election Commissioners legal protection for certain official acts.

On October 9, opposition leaders met President Droupadi Murmu and raised their concerns. Three days later, Rahul Gandhi led a march towards the Supreme Court, where opposition leaders submitted a petition on the Election Commission’s handling of the revision.

(With inputs from PTI)