Cockroach Janta Party Demands Chief Election Commissioner's Resignation Over Voter List Changes

The Cockroach Janta Party has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged attempts to undermine voter rights, warning of nationwide protests including a second iteration of Jantar Mantar if he does not step down within forty-eight hours. Speaking at a press conference, CJP national convener Abhijeet Dipke stated that the group would launch nationwide agitation alongside co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The group pointed to the exclusion of over thirteen crore names from draft electoral rolls across thirty states and Union Territories during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. This development follows media reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least fourteen times in ten months regarding Special Intensive Revision decisions made without their knowledge. Responding to these reports, the Election Commission acknowledged the notes as a normal part of its internal decision-making process but did not directly address the specific concerns raised. The CJP has outlined three specific areas requiring immediate scrutiny: the alleged blocking of first-time voters through new online Form 6 declarations, the handling of excluded voters' appeals in West Bengal, and the centralisation of electoral roll data. The outfit has called for an independent investigation into Special Intensive Revision decisions, a halt to further exclusions, the securing of January 2025 electoral rolls, and the transfer of related records to the Supreme Court or a judicially supervised inquiry. Furthermore, the CJP demanded the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners in favour of a framework with wider civil society participation.