CJP widens anti-election protest to Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata as pressure mounts on India’s poll chief
Mumbai’s protest against India’s election authority is set to spill far beyond the city. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Thursday that the
Mumbai’s protest against India’s election authority is set to spill far beyond the city. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Thursday that the movement would spread to Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata, and keep going “until Gyanesh Kumar resigns.”
The announcement came at a press conference in Mumbai, where Dipke and fellow CJP leaders, including Saurav Das, demanded criminal action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The group is due to hold its “Jail Bharo Andolan” on Friday from Shivaji Park.
Trigger: a report on voter deletions
The immediate spark for the protest is an Express investigation that exposed an internal rift inside the poll body over SIR voter deletions. CJP has seized on the report to press its case against the Election Commission and escalate its campaign in public.
Dipke appealed to political parties to join the agitation, but drew a line around his own camp. “CJP will not be a part of INDIA bloc protests,” he said. The party wants the issue to stay focused on Gyanesh Kumar and the functioning of the commission, not folded into a larger opposition platform.
‘Puppet’ charge and a bigger demand
Dipke used sharp language against the chief election commissioner, calling him a “puppet.” He also said the next election commissioner should be chosen transparently, with civil society allowed to take part in the process.
That demand gives the protest a wider edge. It is no longer only about one official or one report. CJP is pushing for a different method of choosing the top election official, and it is doing so through street mobilisation, starting in Mumbai and now stretching to multiple cities.
Dipke also said the agitation would reach Jantar Mantar. The message was plain. The party wants the campaign to keep moving, and keep the pressure on, until Gyanesh Kumar steps aside.
Source: indianexpress.com