Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter-roll irregularities, Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday demanded Kumar’s resignation and warned of a “Jantar Mantar 2.0” agitation, followed by a demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation if the CEC did not step down.
Addressing a gathering at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, Dipke said democracy is under threat as voter names have been removed from electoral rolls across India through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process initiated after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“This represents roughly 13–14% of the total electorate, a figure large enough to sway election outcomes given that the vote-share gap between the NDA and opposition in 2024 was only about 2%. In Delhi, 40,000 votes were allegedly deleted from Arvind Kejriwal’s constituency, where Kejriwal lost by a narrow margin of 4,000–5,000 votes. In Tamil Nadu, 1 lakh votes were deleted, with DMK leader M.K. Stalin losing by just 10,000 votes. In West Bengal, 50,000 votes were deleted, and Mamata Banerjee’s party lost by 15,000 votes,” he said.
Deep Dive
What are the main allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding electoral rolls?
Why did Abhijeet Dipke choose to protest in Mumbai instead of Delhi?
How did the CJP plan to escalate the protest if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign?
However, HT’s analysis of SIR deletions by constituency has shown no correlation with the outcome, and some of the deletions have been caused by death and migration. But the exclusion of millions of voters from draft rolls — Delhi saw a 32.8% decline from the 14,510,299 names on the rolls in June 2026 — has resulted in public angst and anxiety.
{{/usCountry}}However, HT’s analysis of SIR deletions by constituency has shown no correlation with the outcome, and some of the deletions have been caused by death and migration. But the exclusion of millions of voters from draft rolls — Delhi saw a 32.8% decline from the 14,510,299 names on the rolls in June 2026 — has resulted in public angst and anxiety.
{{/usCountry}}Revelations by The Indian Express last month that two election commissioners disagreed with some of the decisions, and that the central database of electors wasn’t accessible to on-ground officers tasked with adding and deleting names, have caused a stir. The Election Commission has since clarified that all decisions have been unanimous, based on the majority, and also modified the SIR process to reduce the inconvenience to voters.
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Actor Shabana Azmi, music director Dadlani and Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi joined the protest in Mumbai, which saw a huge crowd and support from the youth.
Shiv Sena-UBT extended its support as the party’s local MLA Sawant joined the CJP team on the dais.
Dipke questioned why similar deletions did not appear to affect BJP strongholds, alleging selective targeting of opposition-led states.
He accused the BJP dispensation of orchestrating a strategy to divide voters along religious lines, stating that Hindu-Muslim politics will not work anymore and urging the younger generation and Gen-Z to think beyond religion.
Dipke also criticised the 2022–2024 wave of MLA and MP defections, alleging that 111 MLAs and 99 MPs switched parties in what he described as an “IPL-style auction” where legislators were bought and sold. He mocked the loyalty shift, saying, “It’s not love for Modi, but the legislators shifted because of the threat.”
Paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, Dipke launched a sharp attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru were the “soul, backbone and mind” of India and Modi cannot match their sacrifice, hard work and merit.
He said Gandhi had been persecuted less by the British than the people are being harassed by the BJP-led government. He also alleged that those subscribing to the ideology of Nathuram Godse were seeking to diminish Gandhi’s legacy. “Gandhi is the soul of India, Ambedkar the backbone and Nehru the mind,” Dipke said.
Referring to India’s first general elections, Dipke said Ambedkar and Nehru had helped give voting rights to people at a time when many were not even familiar with concepts such as fundamental rights, elections, the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. He said that this was in contrast to the present situation, alleging that people were being repeatedly made to stand in queues — during demonetisation, the Covid-19 pandemic and now for voter registration.
Eknath Shinde and Maharashtra politics
Dipke called the Shiv Sena headed by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde a “shell company” of the BJP and alleged that regional forces are being systematically weakened. “In the 2024 elections, the BJP did not perform as strongly in Maharashtra, yet it still secured seats through the addition of 40 lakh votes. The central government should not repeat the July 20, 2026 mistake when Amit Shah’s lathi-charge on protesters at Jantar Mantar sparked nationwide outrage,” he said.
Lauding Mumbai police for peacefully handling the demonstrations, he slammed Delhi police over the treatment it gave to CJP supporters during the protest over NEET. He also dared chief minister Devendra Fadnavis — who had warned of police action on protesters — to arrest them. “You said we would be put behind the bars for three days. We are ready to even for three months,” he added.