‘Resign in 48 hours or Jantar Mantar 2.0’: CJP's ultimatum to CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The Cockroach Janta Party on Thursday demanded chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, threatening a nationwide agitation similar to the Jantar Mantar protests between June and July if he does not step down within 48 hours.

The organisation accused the CEC of “undermining” voter rights and launched the “Election Commission Thik Karo” campaign.

“If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign within 48 hours, we will start a nationwide protest, before coming for a protest in Delhi,” CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke said, while addressing a press conference in the Capital along with co-convenor Saurav Das and spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka.

‘Burden on Election Commission to establish that every exclusion is lawful’

CJP cited voter exclusions across several states during the special intensive revision of voter rolls, saying the “burden” to prove that exclusions were lawful fell on the Election Commission of India.

“When millions of names can disappear from draft rolls, the burden is on the Commission to establish that every exclusion is lawful, transparent and subject to meaningful review,” Dipke said, according to PTI news agency.

He further added, “Under Gyanesh Kumar, we are seeing an electoral system in which the Election Commission is deciding who remains on the voter rolls and who does not.”

CJP puts forward three demands

During the press conference, CJP put forward three demands, including the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and “inititation of criminal proceedings against him.”

The organisation further called for the “freezing” of the SIR exercise and restoration of the January, 2025 voter list. It also demanded the repealing of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and reform of the ECI.

This comes a day after an investigative report by The Indian Express stated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections to decisions taken in the commission’s name at least 14 times over 10 months. The ques