CJP Plans Nationwide Agitation Against CEC, Mumbai 'Jail Bharo' Protest On October 2

Mumbai: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) plans to expand its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to several cities after an October 2 “Jail Bharo Andolan” at Shivaji Park, despite Mumbai Police having denied permission for the proposed gathering.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded Kumar’s resignation and criminal proceedings against him. He also sought greater transparency and civil society participation in the appointment of election commissioners. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the agitation would begin in Mumbai before spreading across the country.

Campaign planned across cities

CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde said demonstrations were planned in Goa, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Ranchi, with the campaign expected to reach Delhi’s Jantar Mantar by the end of October. Dipke invited political parties to support the agitation but said CJP would remain independent of the INDIA bloc’s protests.

Organisers urged participants to carry the national flag rather than political banners. Dipke also encouraged young supporters to express their criticism through humour and memes. They have also asked everyone not to carry the flags of political parties, instead to carry the tricolour.

Police deny gathering permission

The proposed gathering faces a hurdle over police permission. Police rejected the application citing restrictions on Shivaji Park’s use under a 2013 Bombay High Court order, potential noise pollution in the residential neighbourhood and traffic congestion that could affect access to nearby hospitals.

Police advised organisers to select an alternative venue and submit a fresh application. Following the rejection, Dipke announced a mass voluntary arrest agitation on Gandhi Jayanti.

Questions over electoral rolls

The campaign follows reports of disagreements within the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly recorded at least 14 objections over 10 months to decisions involving voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, and access to the electoral-roll database.

Dipke questioned the reported removal of more than 13 crore names from draft electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise could influence election outcomes. The figure relates to draft rolls and does not establish that an equivalent number of eligible voters have permanently lost their voting rights.

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He also questioned the reliability of electronic voting machines. These allegations remain claims made by the campaign.

Separate march announced

The Mumbai agitation comes amid wider protests against the Election Commission. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray have separately announced an October 4 march from Byculla towards the BMC headquarters near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The Thackerays have invited political parties to participate.