Kumar Bahukhandi
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke addresses a press conference as co-conveners Saurav Das (left) and Ashutosh Ranka look on in New Delhi on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Photo: PTI
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke demands CEC’s resignation, warns of nationwide agitation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls
New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar within 48 hours, warning that the organisation would launch a nationwide agitation and return to Delhi for a “Jantar Mantar 2.0” protest if its demand was not met.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Dipke accused the Election Commission under Kumar of undermining voting rights and alleged irregularities in the electoral process. The allegations have been rejected by the Election Commission, which has maintained that its decisions, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, were taken unanimously by the three-member Commission.
“To ensure free and fair elections, CEC Gyanesh Kumar must resign,” Dipke said. He added that if Kumar did not step down within 48 hours, the CJP would begin protests across the country before bringing the agitation to the national capital.
Electoral Roll Controversy Fuels CJP Protest Call
The CJP’s announcement comes amid controversy over reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on multiple occasions concerning electoral-roll decisions, including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names. The Election Commission has said that written observations and differing views are part of its internal deliberative process and do not establish a split within the Commission.
Dipke also called for the SIR exercise to be rolled back and demanded that upcoming elections be put on hold, according to reports of the press conference.
The CJP founder further alleged that large-scale deletion of names from electoral rolls had affected voters and Opposition parties. These claims were presented by Dipke as allegations and have not been independently established in the reports reviewed.
The organisation said its proposed agitation would follow the pattern of its earlier Jantar Mantar mobilisation, with Dipke insisting that the campaign would continue until its demands were addressed.
