The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar within 48 hours and warned of a nationwide agitation if he failed to step down, escalating its campaign over the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the party would not withdraw its protest until Kumar resigned.

“If within 48 hours Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, the Cockroach Janata Party will start a nationwide agitation. We won’t step back till the time Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” Dipke said.

The demand followed reports of differences within the Election Commission over aspects of the SIR exercise. According to a report cited by the CJP, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised concerns on multiple occasions over decisions related to electoral-roll revisions.

Dipke accused the CEC of undermining democracy and alleged that the electoral process had been manipulated to determine who could vote and who could not.

“What did democracy mean in our country? Democracy meant that the people would choose the government; the people would decide whom they want to vote for. But ever since Gyanesh Kumar became the Chief Election Commissioner, the government has been deciding who will vote and who will not,” he alleged.

He described the situation as an “attack” on democratic institutions and alleged that the Election Commission had failed to protect citizens’ voting rights.

Raises 2024 election questions

Dipke linked his allegations to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saying the BJP’s failure to secure a majority had been followed by developments involving several Opposition parties and leaders.

“In the 2024 elections, the BJP could not achieve a majority. The panic button was pressed when they failed to secure a majority. They had come down to 240 seats when they were raising the slogan of ‘400 paar’. After that, they realised that the mood of the country was changing,” he said.

Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play

He alleged that political leaders who had campaigned together during the 2024 election were subsequently defeated one by one.

“This cannot simply be a coincidence. You can see a pattern. All the Chief Ministers who had come together in 2024 and campaigned together, how were they eliminated one by one?” he asked.

Dipke also repeated allegations that voter deletions had affected constituencies associated with prominent political leaders. He claimed that 50,000 votes were deleted from former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s constituency, one lakh from former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s constituency and 40,000 from former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s constituency.

He alleged that the deletions, combined with the subsequent electoral results, indicated a broader pattern of political targeting.

Raises issue of party symbols

Dipke also alleged that the Election Commission had played a role in the split of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the subsequent allocation of its election symbol.

“Uddhav Thackeray’s party was split, and its election symbol was taken away by the Election Commission. The Election Commission very cleverly and proactively took away that election symbol and gave it to a proxy party,” he alleged.

He further accused the poll panel of favouring the BJP and alleged that the electoral process had been systematically manipulated.

CJP puts forward wider demands

Apart from seeking Kumar’s resignation, the CJP has called for an immediate halt to the ongoing SIR exercise and upcoming elections, along with an independent inquiry into decisions taken during the voter-roll revision process. It has also called for changes to the existing framework governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.

CJP co-convenor Saurav Das also criticised the functioning of the electoral system, arguing that the right to vote was the principal democratic instrument available to citizens to bring about political change.

“They have turned the country into a huge joke under the current system. This system is corrupt; this system is broken. The youth of the country is demanding change,” Das said.

He questioned how citizens could bring about change if their voting rights were compromised.

“But how will the system change? If your right to vote, which is the only tool you have to bring about change in your life, is taken away from you or stolen from you, then how will change come?” he asked

The Election Commission has maintained that differences and consultations within an institution are part of the normal decision-making process and has defended the legality of its actions. Reports on the SIR controversy have said the Commission maintains that its decisions were taken with the approval of all three commissioners.

(with Agency inputs)