24 September,2026 03:36 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
CJP’s Dipke, Saurav Das along with their team on Thursday addressed a press conference on in Delhi. Pic/PTI
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and warned that his organisation would launch a nationwide protest if the CEC does not step down within 48 hours.
"Jantar Mantar 2.0 will definitely happen if CEC Gyanesh Kumar doesn't resign," Dipke said, referring to the protests previously organised by the CJP at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, reported the PTI.
CJP's Dipke, Saurav Das along with their team on Thursday addressed a press conference on in Delhi amid the Election Commission row.
The statement comes amid a growing political controversy over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A recent news report stated that more than 13 crore names had been struck off draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories.
According to the ANI, Dipke alleged that more than 13 crore names had been deleted from electoral rolls and questioned whether such action was consistent with democratic principles.
"This is not a small number," he said, claiming that the alleged deletions represented around 13-14 per cent of the electorate.
He also questioned whether the exercise could have an impact on the electoral contest between the ruling alliance and the Opposition.
However, the allegations about the purpose or intent behind the deletions have not been independently established.
The Election Commission has maintained that decisions relating to the SIR exercise were taken with the approval of all three Election Commissioners.
Dipke also alleged that large numbers of voters had been removed from constituencies associated with prominent Opposition leaders.
He claimed that 50,000 names were deleted from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's constituency, 1 lakh from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's constituency and 40,000 from former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's constituency, as per the ANI.
Dipke questioned whether the alleged deletions were linked to the electoral prospects of Opposition leaders and said the figures indicated what he described as a pattern.
These specific claims were made by Dipke and have not been independently established in the material reviewed for this report.
Dipke warned that the CJP would take its campaign against the Election Commission to the streets if Kumar does not resign, the news agency reported.
The organisation had already signalled a renewed focus on electoral reforms and voting rights.
On Wednesday, Dipke posted on X announcing a Delhi press conference and wrote, "Election Commission Thik Karo! Important PC tomorrow in Delhi. Gyanesh, it's done bro."
The CJP said its latest campaign would focus on the functioning of the Election Commission and protection of the right to vote.
The controversy follows a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on record on several occasions over aspects of the poll panel's functioning, including issues connected with the SIR process, reported the ANI.
According to reports, the objections covered issues relating to voter registration, deletion and restoration of names and changes to procedures for new voters.
Election Commission sources, however, said that decisions taken by the poll panel, including those concerning SIR, had the approval of all three Election Commissioners, as per the ANI.
(with PTI and ANI inputs)
