The Cockroach Janta Party, known as CJP, has announced plans to launch nationwide protests from October 2 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the proposed protest during a press conference in New Delhi on September 24, escalating the organisation's campaign over the functioning of the Election Commission of India.
According to reports, CJP initially gave the Chief Election Commissioner a 48 hour deadline to resign. On September 25, Dipke said the organisation would begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2 if Kumar did not step down by Saturday, September 26. The proposed date coincides with Gandhi Jayanti.
Dipke said the protest would subsequently be taken to cities across the country. The organisation has also indicated that a larger demonstration in Delhi could follow as part of its campaign.
The CJP's demand comes amid an ongoing controversy surrounding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. The issue has attracted political attention following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised formal objections on several occasions concerning decisions and procedures related to electoral rolls and the SIR exercise.
The Indian Express reported that the two Election Commissioners had raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months. The reported objections involved issues such as voter additions, deletions and restoration, changes to Form 6 and aspects of electoral roll data handling.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that these reported differences represented a division within the three member poll panel. The poll body has maintained that its decisions, including those related to the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously after deliberations among the commissioners.
At its September 24 press conference, CJP demanded that Gyanesh Kumar resign and also called for action in connection with its allegations regarding the electoral roll revision process. The organisation has raised concerns about voter rights and the functioning of the Election Commission.
Dipke has made several allegations against the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission. These statements represent the position of CJP and have not been established as facts by an independent authority. The Election Commission has disputed allegations that electoral rolls or elections were manipulated.
CJP has also raised broader demands concerning the electoral roll revision process. Reports on the organisation's press conference said it called for a halt to the SIR exercise and restoration of an earlier voter list. It also demanded changes to the legal framework governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.
The announcement marks another stage in CJP's campaign focusing on the Election Commission. The organisation had previously organised protests on other public issues and has now made electoral rights and the functioning of the poll panel a central part of its campaign.
The proposed October 2 protest is expected to begin in Mumbai, according to Dipke, before expanding to other parts of India. The organisation has said it intends to continue the campaign until its demands are addressed.
The controversy surrounding Gyanesh Kumar comes at a time when the Election Commission is facing scrutiny over the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The issue has also generated criticism from several opposition political leaders, while the Election Commission has defended its procedures and rejected allegations of electoral manipulation.
As of September 25, CJP's stated position is that Kumar should resign by the deadline announced by the organisation. If that does not happen, Dipke has said that the nationwide protest will begin on October 2. The actual scale and duration of the proposed demonstrations will depend on how the situation develops.
The developments are being closely followed because the Election Commission is constitutionally responsible for conducting elections and maintaining electoral rolls. Any controversy concerning voter registration, deletion or restoration of names can therefore have significant public and political attention.
For readers, it is important to distinguish between allegations made by CJP and established facts. CJP has made specific accusations concerning the Election Commission, while the poll body has rejected claims of a breakdown in decision making and has maintained that its decisions were unanimous.
