Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and announced plans for protests in several states over the functioning of the Election Commission. Dipke said the agitation would continue until Kumar steps down and warned that the campaign could extend to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar from the end of October.

Speaking at an interaction with the Mumbai Press Club, Dipke said the CJP would hold a protest in Mumbai on October 2 to press for Kumar’s resignation. He also demanded that a criminal case be registered against the CEC. Reports indicate that Mumbai Police had not granted permission for the proposed Shivaji Park gathering, with organisers considering alternative arrangements.

Dipke said the party planned to organise protests in Goa, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. He said that if Kumar did not resign, the CJP would take its protest to Jantar Mantar in Delhi from the end of October. He also demanded greater transparency in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and called for the involvement of civil society in the selection process.

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The CJP founder further demanded that the 2025 electoral rolls be frozen, arguing that they should not be altered further. His demands come amid a wider controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and reports of disagreements within the three-member Election Commission over several decisions concerning voter registration and electoral-roll management.

An Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to certain decisions and orders, including some they said were issued without their knowledge. The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion of an institutional split, maintaining that decisions including those concerning the SIR were taken unanimously by all three commissioners.

The dispute has also prompted legal and political attention. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging aspects of the Election Commission’s functioning and the nationwide SIR, while opposition parties and other groups have raised concerns over the electoral-roll revision process. The CJP’s proposed protests add another layer to the ongoing debate over the functioning and decision-making of the poll panel.

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