Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has urged Opposition parties to stop contesting elections if they genuinely believe the electoral process is being manipulated, arguing that continued participation gives legitimacy to polls they themselves describe as unfair.
In a post on X on Friday, September 25, Dipke compared the situation to a fixed cricket match and questioned why political parties continue to participate despite repeatedly raising allegations of electoral irregularities.
‘You Cannot Keep Saying The Game Is Rigged’
Dipke said Opposition parties “cannot keep saying the game is rigged while continuing to play it”, arguing that their participation helps create an impression that elections remain free and fair.
Using the analogy of a fixed cricket match, he suggested that not every catch would necessarily be dropped and that a manipulated contest could still be taken to the final over to make it appear genuine.
He further claimed that Opposition parties could be allowed a few victories what he described as “crumbs” to keep them participating and convince voters that there was a genuine political contest. These are Dipke’s allegations and characterisation of the electoral process.
‘What Kind Of Existence Are You Trying To Protect?’
Dipke also questioned whether Opposition parties were continuing to contest elections primarily to preserve their political existence.
“Maybe you keep contesting because you fear that if you don’t, you will stop existing,” he said, while questioning what kind of political existence parties were trying to protect amid their allegations of stolen votes, defections and splits.
He called for consistency in raising concerns over electoral processes, saying allegations of manipulation should not depend on the state involved or which political party was affected.
Dipke urged Opposition parties to put what he described as the interests of the country and democracy ahead of political survival and consider withdrawing from elections they believe are being manipulated.
CJP’s Fresh Attack On Election Commission
Dipke’s remarks came a day after the CJP stepped up its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
At a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, the organisation demanded Kumar’s resignation within 48 hours and warned of a nationwide agitation, including what it called “Jantar Mantar 2.0”, if he did not step down.
The CJP has also demanded that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be frozen and that upcoming elections be halted.
ECI Row Over Internal Differences
The controversy comes amid reports of differences within the Election Commission over aspects of electoral-roll management and other decisions.
An Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over decisions concerning voter additions, deletions and restoration, changes to Form 6 and access to the electoral-roll database.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected suggestions of an institutional rift, maintaining that differing views and written observations are part of the internal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body. The poll panel has also maintained that decisions, including those related to the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously.
The latest remarks by Dipke add another layer to the ongoing political debate over the Election Commission, electoral-roll revisions and Opposition allegations concerning the conduct of elections.
