The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) held a protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raising concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The protest drew a sizable gathering, including several personalities from the film and music industry. Actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, filmmaker-composer Vishal Bhardwaj, singer-composer Vishal Dadlani were among those who attended the protest. Actress Sherlyn Chopra also extended her support to the agitation.
Film Personalities Attend Stir
Addressing the gathering, Shabana Azmi said the right to vote was a fundamental democratic right and that any attempt to remove eligible voters' names from electoral rolls should be opposed through democratic means.
"Our vote is our right, it is our voice," Shabana Azmi
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi was among the prominent names from the entertainment industry who attended the protest. Speaking at the gathering, Azmi highlighted the importance of voting rights and said citizens should raise their voices through democratic means if their names are removed from electoral rolls.
"Voting is our right," Azmi had said ahead of the protest while urging people to participate. At the event, she also spoke about citizens' constitutional right to protest and questioned what people should do if their names disappear from voter lists.
Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Dadlani also present
Actor Naseeruddin Shah was also seen at the Shivaji Park gathering, where he met and embraced CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke. Singer and composer Vishal Dadlani also attended the protest and raised slogans against Gyanesh Kumar.
Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and singer Rekha Bhardwaj were among the other entertainment industry personalities present at the gathering.
The participation of prominent film and music personalities brought additional attention to the CJP's protest, which was held amid a wider debate over electoral-roll revisions and voting rights.
What is the CJP protesting against?
The CJP has been campaigning against the SIR exercise and has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The organisation has also called for greater transparency in the appointment of the next CEC and sought the freezing of the 2025 electoral roll.
Protesters have alleged that the electoral-roll revision has resulted in large-scale deletions of voters. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the revision is aimed at identifying and removing duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries while ensuring eligible voters remain on the rolls.
Police had denied permission
The Mumbai Police had earlier denied permission for the CJP's October 2 protest, citing restrictions on the use of Shivaji Park, traffic concerns, noise pollution and the area's residential and silence-zone status.
Despite the denial, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced that the organisation would proceed with a "Jail Bharo Andolan" if authorities attempted to stop the protest.
The protest in Mumbai comes as demonstrations over the Election Commission and SIR continue in different parts of the country. The CJP has announced plans for further protests in other cities as part of its campaign.
Javed Akhtar reacts to Shivaji Park objections
Writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar also commented on objections raised by some Shivaji Park residents over the protest. He questioned whether similar concerns would be raised when political parties hold large public gatherings at the venue.
The Mumbai gathering has added a prominent entertainment-industry dimension to the ongoing debate over electoral-roll revision, with several well-known personalities publicly expressing their views on voting rights and the right to protest.
