New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has given Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar 48 hours to resign, warning that it will launch a nationwide agitation if he does not step down.
At a press conference in New Delhi on September 24, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the organisation would organise protests across the country and later hold an indefinite protest in Delhi, which it described as “Jantar Mantar 2.0.”
The demand comes amid a controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The CJP has alleged irregularities in the process and questioned the Election Commission’s handling of voter list changes. These claims have not been established as facts.
The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions concerning aspects of voter additions, deletions, restoration and electoral roll data during the past 10 months.
The Election Commission has maintained that such observations are part of its internal decision making process and has rejected suggestions that the reported differences represent a breakdown within the three member Commission.
The CJP has also called for the SIR exercise to be halted, a return to the January 2025 voter list and an independent inquiry into decisions related to the revision. It has additionally demanded changes to the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.
Meanwhile, other political developments are taking place around the issue, including calls from opposition parties for action against the CEC and further scrutiny of the Election Commission’s functioning.
As of the latest reports on September 24, there was no indication that Gyanesh Kumar had resigned. The proposed CJP protests will depend on whether its 48 hour demand is met.
