Ajinkya Shinde has taken charge of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar after the party’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, was detained by Delhi Police on Saturday, October 10. Shinde, who serves as the party’s national organisation in-charge, has been entrusted with leading the demonstration in the absence of Dipke and other senior leaders. The protest was organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations concerning electoral-roll revisions. Dipke announced the leadership change in a pre-recorded message shared on the party’s social media account.

Shinde, who hails from Maharashtra, has been associated with Dipke for several years and previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He served as a social media coordinator for the AAP’s Maharashtra team before moving into a leading organisational role within the CJP. According to reports, Shinde first met Dipke in Goa in 2016. He later left his corporate job to work full-time with the AAP and contributed to the party’s election-related activities in Goa. His experience in political organisation and digital communication has formed part of his work with the CJP.

The party’s decision to place Shinde in charge followed the detention of Dipke, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das and co-convener Ashutosh Ranka. Delhi Police personnel detained the three leaders after their flight from Mumbai landed in the national capital. Anticipating the possibility of detention, Dipke had recorded a message the previous night, identifying Shinde as the person who would lead the movement in their absence. The message instructed supporters to follow Shinde and continue participating in the protest.

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Shinde has been involved in the CJP’s activities surrounding electoral transparency and other public issues. His social media posts have included updates related to the campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner, as well as the party’s school-improvement initiative and protests over the NEET examination paper-leak controversy. The CJP had previously organised demonstrations in Maharashtra before calling for a larger gathering at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The latest protest centres on allegations of irregularities in electoral-roll revisions, which have become a subject of political debate.

With the party’s senior leadership detained, Shinde faces the responsibility of coordinating the demonstration and maintaining communication with supporters. The protest comes amid heightened security restrictions in Delhi, where authorities had denied permission for the planned gathering. The CJP has demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and raised concerns about the electoral-roll revision process. Shinde’s appointment places him at the forefront of the party’s ongoing campaign, although further details about his immediate plans and the next steps for the demonstration had not been publicly confirmed at the time of reporting.

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