The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has issued a new ultimatum to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar asking him to resign by September 26 or face a nationwide protest beginning October 2. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the proposed agitation would start in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti before spreading to other cities throughout India.
On September 25, Dipke made clear the organisation would start its nationwide protest if Kumar didn’t step down by the next day. He said the first phase would be held in Mumbai on October 2 and the campaign would soon be spread to cities across the country.
The announcement came a day after CJP had given the Chief Election Commissioner a 48-hour deadline to resign. The organisation has also raised issues with the Election Commission’s handling of electoral roll revision and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. These are allegations made by CJP and have not been substantiated as findings against the Election Commission.
CJP's Demands
CJP has called for several measures alongside its demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Dipke has asked for an independent inquiry into the functioning of the Election Commission and demanded that the SIR exercise be frozen.
But the organisation has also called on the government to put elections on hold and restore the electoral rolls to their January 2025 starting date. Another request calls for an investigation into decisions on electoral roll management and changes to the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.
The latest protest comes as the Election Commission’s voter rolls and internal decision-making are in the midst of a political debate over voter rolls and who decides voter rolls.
What is the SIR exercise?
The Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is an exercise by the Election Commission to review and update electoral rolls. It has become a focal point of political controversy, with critics questioning voter verification, addition and removal from electoral rolls.
A recent investigation published by The Indian Express found that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi received objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period regarding decisions and orders issued in the name of the poll panel. The objections involved elections, voter registration and deletion, changes to Form 6 and access to the Commission's voter database.
The two commissioners raised concerns on several occasions, including four objections on one day. The issues extended to the functioning of the Election Commission's technology systems and the management of electoral roll data, the report said.
Election Commission's Response
The reported differences among the Election Commission have drawn political reactions but the poll panel has rejected suggestions that the disagreements are a breakdown of the institution. The Election Commission has said that differing views and written notes are part of a multi-member constitutional body of five members and that decisions were unanimous.
It is important because the reported objections and the allegations of CJP are two sides of the same coin in terms of the wider issue. While CJP has used the reports of internal objections to support its demand for Kumar’s resignation, the Election Commission has defended its decision-making process.
Protest to take place from October 2
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.
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) September 25, 2026
This Gandhi Jayanti let’s pledge to save democracy.
CJP has said that its proposed nationwide protest will begin in Mumbai on October 2, which is Gandhi Jayanti, if Kumar does not resign by September 26. The organisation has said that the protest would then spread to other cities.
The announcement adds another layer to the continuous discussion about electoral roll revision and the function of India's poll panel. The Election Commission is still performing elections and maintaining electoral rolls and political organisations and other stakeholders are still debating voter-list revisions.
For now, the immediate deadline set by CJP is September 26. If not met, it will begin its planned protest in Mumbai on October 2 and then expand the campaign nationwide. The development will keep our eyes on the Election Commission, the SIR exercise and the reported differences among its members.
