The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which reportedly removed more than 12 crore names, has stirred protests across the country.
On Thursday, Abhijeet Dipke of the Cockroach Janta Party publicly demanded that opposition parties boycott the polls, claiming participation legitimises a rigged system.
NCP‑SP’s Anish Gawande countered, saying that withdrawing would give BJP a free hand, adding that the opposition must keep pressuring the Commission.
DMK leader A Saravanan warned that a boycott could be portrayed as fear of contesting BJP, and that elections would continue regardless, risking a “tinpot dictatorship.”
Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar dismissed the boycott as impractical, urging the opposition to intensify its campaign against the Commission and demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The CJP also gave Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a 48‑hour ultimatum to resign, threatening nationwide agitation if he did not step down.