In the heart of Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) rallied on Friday, drawing a crowd that swelled past 10,000 despite a denial of permission from local police.
Leader Abhijeet Dipke, who called the gathering a prelude to a larger national movement, posted on X on October 2 that a peaceful march will converge on Jantar Mantar on October 10 unless Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar steps down.
Dipke’s campaign hinges on a claim that 13 crore voters have been removed from rolls over the past two years—an allegation that he says underpins the BJP’s narrow 2% victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the party’s alleged manipulation of Maharashtra and West Bengal elections.
The protest, scheduled for the 10th, will be joined by cultural figures such as Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, and the CEC has yet to issue a statement, leaving the question of a possible resignation and the march’s impact hanging in the balance.