'What if...': CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke's new post amid ECI-Gyanesh Kumar row

Abhijeet Dipke had previously used a similar phrase, “What if all cockroaches come together?”, following comments by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. 

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Amid the ongoing row over alleged differences within the Election Commission of India, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke took a swipe at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday, asking on social media, “What if all Gyanesh haters unite?”

Back in May this year, Dipke had used a similar phrase, “What if all cockroaches come together?”, following comments by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

The post was followed by the formation of the CJP and a movement led by the group, which eventually resulted in massive student-led protests against the NEET-UG paper leak and the subsequent resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Dipke's latest post came a day after the CJP leader Saurav Das announced that it was dropping its scheduled programmes to hold a press conference in Delhi over the Election Commission controversy.

“We are dropping all our prior commitments tomorrow and will be holding a big Press Conference in Delhi tomorrow. Election Commission Thik Karo,” the CJP leader said in another post.

Also Read: Differing views are normal but decisions unanimous: Election Commission amid row

What triggered the ECI row?

The latest controversy erupted after an Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders issued in the name of the poll panel that they said were taken without their knowledge.

The objections reportedly concerned electoral-roll management, including the registration and deletion of voters, changes to Form 6 and the functioning of the Commission’s voter database.

The report triggered criticism from Opposition leaders, with some demanding action against Gyanesh Kumar. The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion of an institutional rupture and said written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks and balances were standard practices within a multi-member constitutional body.

The ECI said all its actions were in accordance with the law and that official orders, decisions and administrative directions carried full legal sanction. It also said queries and inputs raised by members during the drafting stage were part of standard administrative procedures intended to ensure transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour.

The CJP's latest move comes as Opposition parties are also discussing a joint response to the controversy.

(With inputs from PTI)

Google Trends

According to Google Trends, searches for the term ‘election commission’ picked up after the row involving the poll panel emerged. The highest search interest was recorded in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, followed by Delhi, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Bihar.

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  Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More