Signalling that the protests over alleged electoral fraud are converging into one movement, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday extended its support to the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan and repeated its demand that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
It added, “By undermining this very principle through SIR, Gyanesh Kumar has lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections. “Nation above all! CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke posted on X, sharing a statement from the youth-led outfit. It was not immediately clear if he or others from the CJP would be on the stage or attend at all. The endorsement follows weeks in which the CJP and the Congress ran parallel campaigns against Gynesh Kumar; and before that, protests in June-July over paper leaks. The Aam Aadmi Party and the DMK have also backed the CJP, amid their frosty relations with the Congress-led INDIA bloc. B.R.
His resignation is therefore necessary to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission. The Congress decided not to take part in the CJP’s October 10 protest in Delhi, citing its own nationwide agitation, while the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) backed the CJP. Dipke worked with AAP’s social media and campaign operations between 2020 and 2023. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has asked party MPs to stay in Delhi from October 30 to November 1. The Delhi Police has granted a no-objection certificate for the rally, with conditions, for a programme between 10 am and 5 pm.
The statement said, “The fundamental principle of democracy is that people get to choose their government, not that the government gets to choose its voters. The CJP thus said it would “support all organisations fighting for free and fair elections in our country”. Congress MP Jebi Mather has said the rally was a joint decision taken after consultations with INDIA bloc parties, and that there were no differences within the Opposition over the demand for the CEC’s resignation. Ambedkar, the CJP said democracy depended on ensuring equal political representation and protecting every eligible citizen’s voting rights. Earlier reporting noted: “The fundamental principle of democracy is that people get to choose their government, not that the government gets to choose its voters,” the party said, alleging that the SIR exercise had undermined public confidence in the electoral process.
Earlier reporting noted: Invoking the principles of the Constitution and the legacy of Dr.
