CJP TAKES ELECTORAL ROLL PROTEST TO MUMBAI STREETS AS DIPKE CHALLENGES POLL PANEL CHIEF
October 2, 2026
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by founder Abhijeet Dipke, launched a protest campaign in Mumbai on October 2, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. The demonstration, announced as a “Jail Bharo Andolan”, was planned for Shivaji Park on Gandhi Jayanti, marking the beginning of the party’s proposed nationwide agitation.
Dipke has accused the Election Commission of undermining public confidence in the electoral process through its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. The CJP has called for the resignation of Kumar, the freezing of the 2025 electoral roll and a more transparent process for appointing future chief election commissioners, including participation by civil society.
Mumbai Police denied permission for the proposed gathering at Shivaji Park, citing legal restrictions on the use of the venue, a Bombay High Court order and concerns regarding noise and traffic. Despite the restrictions, Dipke maintained that the party intended to continue its campaign. He was briefly taken to Marine Drive police station on October 1 after appearing with supporters holding protest placards, but was released shortly afterwards.
The agitation coincided with separate demonstrations planned by student organisations, activists and opposition supporters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police denied permission for the proposed gathering and deployed additional personnel and barricades in the area. Some demonstrators, including Aam Aadmi Party leaders, were detained as police enforced restrictions on public assemblies.
The CJP has announced plans to extend its campaign to several states, including Goa, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, before holding a further demonstration in Delhi. Dipke has said the movement would remain independent of political parties, despite overlapping demands with opposition groups challenging the Election Commission’s handling of voter-roll revision.
The controversy has intensified following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to certain decisions and procedures on multiple occasions. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that decisions concerning the SIR exercise were taken unanimously by its three-member body and has defended the revision as part of its responsibility to maintain accurate electoral rolls.
The protests reflect widening public and political debate over voter verification, electoral transparency and the functioning of India’s constitutional election authority. While the CJP continues to demand Kumar’s resignation and changes to the electoral process, the Election Commission has rejected allegations of targeted action, leaving the dispute to unfold through political mobilisation and institutional scrutiny.
