The Cockroach Janta Party has said that it will launch a nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2 if Gyanesh Kumar does not step down as the Chief Election Commissioner. Announcing the Gandhi Jayanti protest, CJP national convener Abhijeet Dipke posted on Twitter: “If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India.”

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He also took a dig at the Opposition, saying that the parties were participating in the polls despite the elections being rigged only to stay relevant. He said participating in “rigged elections” only legitimises an illegal procedure. “Yes, elections are being rigged. But when you continue to participate in rigged elections, you legitimise these elections and help maintain the illusion that they are free and fair. Maybe you keep contesting because you fear that if you don’t, you will stop existing. But what kind of existence are you trying to protect when votes are being stolen, your MLAs and MPs are being poached, and your parties are being split? This is not political survival. You are simply trying to stay alive in a system that can weaken you, split your party or take away your elected representatives whenever it wants. How long can you survive like this,” he asked in a separate post.

For opposition:

Yes, elections are being rigged. But when you continue to participate in rigged elections, you legitimise these elections and help maintain the illusion that they are free and fair.

Maybe you keep contesting because you fear that if you don’t, you will stop…

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) September 25, 2026

The CJP on Thursday demanded the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar for “undermining” voter rights. The party said if the CEC did not resign within 48 hours, India could see a protest, including a “Jantar Mantar 2.0”. The CJP’s protest against the NEET exam paper leak, which led to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Union Education Minister on July 25, was held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

The nationwide furore over the Election Commission’s operations came after  reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times in 10 months to SIR-related decisions taken without their knowledge and glaring gaps in processes.

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Responding to the Express investigation on Wednesday, the EC acknowledged these notes but described them as part of the panel’s “decision-making process”. However, it neither responded to any of the concerns raised by the two Commissioners nor stated whether or how it addressed them.

The CJP on Thursday also called for an independent investigation into the decisions taken during the Special Intensive Revision process, including the identification officials who authorised the disputed changes and directives.

The CJP further asked for SIR-related exclusions to be stopped and demanded that the January 2025 electoral rolls be secured and all relevant SIR records and files be transferred to the Supreme Court or an independent judicially supervised inquiry.