The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is set to hold a protest in Mumbai on October 2 over its demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and concerns it has raised about the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The protest will be led by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke.
The agitation comes amid a political row over a report alleging differences within the Election Commission. The ECI, however, has rejected suggestions of an internal breakdown and said decisions, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), had the approval of all three commissioners.
What are CJP's demands?
CJP members, including Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had outlined their demands at a press conference on September 25.
The group's demands include the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and initiation of criminal proceedings against him, freezing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and restoring the January 2025 voter list, and repealing the 2023 law while reforming the Election Commission.
In a more recent statement, Dipke outlined three principal demands as Kumar's resignation, freezing the electoral roll prepared in 2025 and holding elections on its basis, and establishing a transparent and independent process for appointing the next Election Commissioner, with civil society participation.
VIDEO | Mumbai, Maharashtra: "Tomorrow we will begin our protest in Mumbai to demand the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Our demands are that he face criminal charges, that the SIR be frozen, that elections be conducted using the 2025 electoral rolls, and that an independent… pic.twitter.com/KAqzFjM5Pd
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 1, 2026
Mumbai protest and police permission
Mumbai Police has denied the CJP permission to hold the October 2 protest at Shivaji Park. The party, however, has said it will go ahead with the demonstration.
Police said they were "not empowered to grant permission" for gatherings at Shivaji Park in accordance with a 2013 Bombay High Court order. They also cited rules governing gatherings as well as traffic and noise concerns.
Dipke alleged that the denial was an attempt to suppress citizens' voices. In a post on X, he warned that the CJP would launch a "Jail Bharo Andolan" if it was denied the right to protest.
"Mumbai Police has also denied permission for our protest on 2nd October. Such tactics to suppress citizens' voices are unacceptable. If we are denied the right to protest, CJP will launch a Jail Bharo Andolan in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti," Dipke said.
Protest Plans Extend Beyond Mumbai
A CJP spokesperson said the first protest would be held at Gate No. 6 near Shivaji Park. Similar demonstrations are planned in Bengaluru, Goa, Kolkata, Patna and Ranchi.
"By the end of October, the protest movement will reach the national level," the spokesperson said at the press conference.
Political reactions
The CJP's protest call has also drawn support from some opposition leaders. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray backed Dipke's call and said Mumbai would participate in the protest.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray have separately announced a joint protest march against the Election Commission and the SIR exercise for October 4 in Mumbai. They have invited other opposition parties to join the protest.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke says, "Yes, our third demand is that whoever becomes the next Election Commissioner, the selection process must be transparent, independent and include the participation of members of civil society... If the resignation does not… pic.twitter.com/9DKdP4zx8u
— IANS (@ians_india) October 1, 2026
The CJP has said its nationwide agitation will begin in Mumbai and subsequently move to other cities, eventually culminating in a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The organisation says the protest will continue until its demands concerning the Election Commission are addressed.
