The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced plans to launch a nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, if Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar does not resign.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the plan on September 25, saying the protest would begin in Mumbai and subsequently spread to cities across India. He had given Kumar an ultimatum to resign by September 26. Dipke said the protest would be held under the call to "save democracy."
The announcement came amid a political controversy surrounding reported differences within the Election Commission and concerns raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
What was the Election Commissioners' letter about?
A letter sent by Sandhu and Joshi to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan on July 29 has also come under scrutiny. According to Hindustan Times, the letter concerned the functioning of a senior Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) involved in poll-related matters, and not CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The contents of the letter have not been disclosed and were described by a person familiar with the matter as classified.
The Election Commission clarified that the communication was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division, but concerned the working of an officer on deputation to the ECI. The poll panel said work redistribution orders issued by the official were not implemented after objections from the two commissioners, while oversight of the IT division by the DEC was never withdrawn.
Officials generally take up personnel-related matters with the CEC. The report noted that if the letter had been against the CEC himself, protocol would have required it to be marked to the President.
ECINET and SIR controversy
The development comes amid a wider debate over the Election Commission's functioning, including work allocation, the oversight of its information technology division and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The ECI has rejected allegations of one-sided decision-making, saying differences and observations are part of institutional deliberations and that its decisions are unanimous.
The Commission also said field officers have role-based access to ECINET according to their statutory powers. It announced that a panel headed by a senior DEC, along with an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT, would review ECINET's compliance with the relevant laws and rules.
CJP's protest plans
Against this backdrop, CJP has continued to demand Kumar's resignation and announced its October 2 protest plan.
Dipke had earlier threatened a "Jantar Mantar 2.0" agitation if his demand was not met. CJP has also raised objections to the SIR exercise and called for changes in the functioning of the Election Commission.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka said the group had chosen Gandhi Jayanti for the proposed protest, framing the date as a call to "reclaim our Republic."
The CJP's announcement is a political demand, while the Election Commission has maintained that its decisions and procedures are lawful and has rejected allegations of manipulation.
