New Delhi (GNP): The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced a youth-led protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October. The party says it is acting against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and wants wider reforms in the Election Commission of India.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the party had informed Delhi Police through a letter submitted at the Parliament Street police station. He described it as an intimation, not a request for permission, and said the organisers had also given an undertaking.
Das said the police had acknowledged the notification, and he expressed hope that they would cooperate. He asked for law and order and traffic arrangements to be maintained on the day.
The party links the protest to its allegations of “theft of votes” and “hijacking of elections”. It also says the Election Commission is failing to include Generation Z in the voter lists. Das added that the mobilisation is a youth protest and not only a party event.
The demands go beyond one official. The CJP is seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and criminal proceedings against him. It also wants a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and to upcoming elections.
The party further asks for the January 2025 voters’ list to be restored, followed by an independent inquiry. It also wants changes to the law governing appointments to the Election Commission. Das said the campaign would continue even if Kumar resigns.
Student groups have backed the call. Representatives of the All India Students’ Association, the All India Students’ Federation, the Students’ Federation of India and the Association of Students for Alternative Politics joined the press conference.
All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora said differences among political groups should not stand in the way of a united campaign. A Students’ Federation of India representative, Adarsh Shaji, accused the Election Commission of undermining democracy.
The build-up begins a few days earlier in Bengaluru. A protest is planned for Thursday, 8 October, at Freedom Park under the slogan “Save Our Votes, Save Democracy”. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said digital creator Dhruv Rathee and actor-director Prakash Raj will take part.
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Both are also expected to join the Delhi mobilisation on 10 October. Organisers describe that event as a wider national protest over alleged large-scale voter deletions.
The Bengaluru programme starts at 10.30 am with a People’s Tribunal on the SIR, organised by civil society groups from across Karnataka. Those groups claim that several people were wrongly removed from the electoral rolls. CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka said participants would hear from people in Karnataka who say they were deleted from the voters’ list.
A “Chappal protest” will follow the tribunal. It is being held in solidarity with women journalists who have alleged sexual harassment by a Delhi Police officer at Jantar Mantar.
The civil society groups want all deletions made during the SIR scrapped and the pre-SIR rolls retained. They have also called for Kumar’s resignation, which matches the CJP’s central demand ahead of the Delhi protest.
Das urged supporters across the country to travel to the capital. He said, “Pack your bags. It will be a long fight.”
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
