MUMBAI — The Cockroach Janta Party has demanded the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Founder Abhijeet Dipke stated that nationwide protests will begin on October 2 if Kumar does not resign by Saturday.

The protests are scheduled to start in Mumbai. "Gyanesh Kumar is the biggest threat to India's democracy," Dipke said at a press conference.

Dipke questioned Kumar's role in a recent electoral roll revision exercise that led to the deletion of millions of voters. He said the exercise has given the government the power to select who can vote, rather than empowering voters to choose the government. Local media reports earlier this month showed millions of voters had been deleted from the draft electoral rolls.

Rahul Gandhi joined the demand for Kumar's resignation on Thursday. Gandhi is India's leader of the opposition. The main opposition Congress party announced protest marches on state election offices across India on Friday, demanding Kumar’s arrest, his removal and an independent review of decisions and voter-list changes made under him. Opposition parties say the voter lists have been manipulated to benefit Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

An investigation by the Indian Express revealed that two other members of the Election Commission had made 14 formal complaints over discrepancies in the special intensive revisions process over the last 10 months. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi complained about being kept in the dark about adding new voters and deleting names. They flagged concerns over the integrity of voter software and warned against voter database access being centralized in Delhi, bypassing state officials.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi stated that the Indian Express report regarding Election Commission objections did not have 'even an off-record response from the Election Commissioners'. The Election Commission stated, "Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution," and added that they are part of "the decision-making process." The Election Commission has yet to comment on the demand for the resignation of the chief election commissioner and the reported deletion of 130 million voters in the draft electoral rolls. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "Neither the Election Commission of India nor any constitutional body in India is under dictatorial rule."

The Election Commission of India began conducting special intensive revisions to update voter lists across the country last year. The process for updating electoral rolls started last year in Bihar. The Election Commission stated the revision exercise aimed to ensure electoral rolls are accurate, up-to-date, and free of ineligible or duplicate entries, while ensuring that no eligible elector is left out. Narendra Modi and his allies won more than 200 seats out of 243 in the Bihar state assembly election.

The three members of the Election Commission are appointed by a selection panel consisting of the prime minister, the home minister, and the leader of opposition. The Indian National Congress opposed the selection of Kumar as the head of the election panel last year. Kumar is the first Chief Election Commissioner of India to be appointed under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.

Why It Matters

The demand for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and the scheduled nationwide protests reflect deep concerns over the integrity of India's electoral processes. The internal dissent within the Election Commission, with two members filing formal complaints over voter list revisions, adds weight to the allegations of manipulation. The involvement of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party indicates a broad political challenge to the current election administration.

The Cockroach Janta Party's rapid rise, gaining over 600,000 sign-ups in a week, demonstrates the potential for digital mobilization to influence political discourse. The party's previous success in forcing the resignation of the education minister shows its capacity to effect change through protest. The outcome of these protests and the Election Commission's response will have implications for future elections and public trust in democratic institutions.

Timeline

In June 2024, Narendra Modi's party failed to secure an outright majority in the national polls and formed a coalition government for his third term as prime minister. Cockroach Janta Party-led protests in July forced the resignation of India's education minister over exam-paper leaks. The protests are scheduled to start in Mumbai on October 2. The Cockroach Janta Party was founded on 16 May 2026.

What's New

The Election Commission of India faced internal dissent, with two of its members, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, filing 14 formal complaints over discrepancies in the voter list revision process over the past 10 months. It was reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected 14 times in 10 months to decisions about the poll panel’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was founded in May 2026 after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's remarks about unemployed youth being 'cockroaches,' and it gained over 600,000 sign-ups within a week through a Google Form. Abhijeet Dipke has a history of criticizing India's education system and advocating for reforms, which led him to organize protests against the Education Minister over exam paper leaks and student suicides.

How Sources Differ

Regarding election commission internal reports and responses, an investigation by the Indian Express revealed that two other members of the Election Commission had made 14 formal complaints over discrepancies in the special intensive revisions process over the last 10 months.