HighLights
  1. CJP demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation by Saturday.
  2. Nationwide protest threatened, starting October 2 from Mumbai.
  3. Accuses Kumar of undermining democracy amidst EC internal rift.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday warned of a massive nationwide protest if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by Saturday. This comes a day after the CJP on Thursday threatened to launch a "Jantar Mantar 2.0" style agitation, placing three core demands, including the immediate resignation of Kumar within 48 hours.

CJP Warns Of Nationwide Protest

In a post on X, Dipke stated that if the CEC refuses to step down, the CJP will launch its protests from Mumbai on October 2, marking Gandhi Jayanti with a pledge to “save democracy” before expanding the movement to cities across India. “If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India. This Gandhi Jayanti, let's pledge to save democracy,” Dipke wrote.

The CJP’s warning comes amid a row that erupted after a report by The Indian Express pointed to a severe internal rift within India’s top electoral body. The report stated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly objected to decisions made by CEC Gyanesh Kumar, triggering an intense debate over the integrity of the voter database.

Several opposition parties, leaders and critics reacted to the development, calling for investigation into the matter. On Thursday, the CJP held a press conference over the matter and demanded Kumar’s resignation while warning of a protest like Jantar Mantar, which was held over the NEET paper leak.

Dipke said, “Yesterday, a report came out regarding the Election Commission, which shows that Gyanesh Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, is the biggest traitor of this country. He is the biggest anti-national. Gyanesh Kumar is the biggest anti-national of this country, and he should resign immediately. Now, why is he anti-national? Because he is undermining India's democracy.”

ALSO READ: CJP Demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation Amid Questions Over EC Functioning, Warns Of Jantar Mantar 2.0

What Are CJP's Demands?

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das also put out three demands during the press conference.

Demand 1: The first demand is the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, an immediate initiation of criminal proceedings against him and an explanation of who gave orders to him.
Demand 2: The second demand raised by the CJP is to put an immediate hold on all upcoming elections, freeze the SIR and roll back to the January 2025 voter list. The demand also includes the constitution of an independent inquiry commission to examine all the decision-making processes related to the SIR.

Calling the Supreme Court equally culpable, the CJP demanded that all files related to the SIR and all files concerning the decision-making process of the SIR be immediately seized and placed in the Court's custody.

Demand 3: The CJP also demanded that the 2023 law on the appointment of the Election Commissioners of India be repealed and, instead, a new law be enacted with the active participation of members of civil society.

ALSO READ: 'Gyanesh, It's Done Bro': Dipke Teases 'Election Commission Theek Karo' Campaign, CJP To Hold Press Conference Today


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