Mamata Banerjee signals possible participation in protest to oust Election Commissioner

Mamata Banerjee, former West Bengal chief minister, said she may join the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar on Oct 10 to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. ## What Happened Banerjee arrived at the Kolkata home of her nephew, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, before making the statement. She is also slated to be part of a ten‑member core team of INDIA bloc leaders that will meet President Droupadi Murmu on Friday to hand over a memorandum accusing mass disenfranchisement and calling for Kumar’s ouster. ## Reaction Banerjee told reporters, “I may join the protest … nothing can be confirmed now. We have maintained a relationship with the CJP and have extended our support.” Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien added that the party supports the CJP and knows several of its leaders, but he neither confirmed nor denied Banerjee’s attendance. The Congress party remains wary of the CJP, calling it an ally of Aam Aadmi Party, while Trinamool and Shiv Sena (UBT) have reached out to the new outfit. Banerjee earlier sent five MPs to a CJP platform during its anti‑exam‑paper‑leak protest. ## Next Steps The INDIA bloc will march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, seeking a meeting with President Murmu over alleged mass disenfranchisement through SIR and demanding Kumar’s removal. The President’s office has not yet fixed the meeting date, though a request was made for Oct 8 or 9, and Murmu has been in Himachal Pradesh for the past three days. ## Context The protest reflects broader opposition concerns that the election commission may be failing to protect voters’ rights, prompting multiple parties to coordinate demands for the chief election commissioner’s resignation.