CJP Protests at Mumbai's Shivaji Park Seeking Chief Election Commissioner's Removal
Thousands of demonstrators gathered at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Friday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, defying the Mumbai Police which had denied permission for the assembly. Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke addressed the crowd, raising concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and sharply criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking at the venue, Dipke questioned the Prime Minister's repeated references to his past as a tea seller, remarking on his public appearances and foreign travel. Dipke also targeted Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma over police actions during demonstrations in the national capital, alleging political bias and claiming the heavy turnout at the park would overwhelm the barricades erected by local authorities.
The CJP has demanded Kumar's resignation, the initiation of criminal proceedings against him, an immediate freeze on the SIR exercise, and the restoration of the January 2025 voter list. The agitation follows reports indicating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over a 10-month period regarding voter rolls, registration, and technical systems. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of an internal rift, maintaining that all decisions were taken unanimously by all three commissioners.
Several prominent public figures joined the protest at Shivaji Park, including veteran actor Shabana Azmi, singer Vishal Dadlani, and actor Naseeruddin Shah. Azmi told the crowd that the gathering concerned fundamental democratic rights, alleging that thousands of names had been eliminated from voter lists. Dadlani appealed to citizens across political lines to push for the scrapping of the SIR exercise and the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
The demonstration was met with a counter-protest at the park staged by an organisation calling itself "Gen Next Mumbai." Assembling beneath the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar, counter-protesters accused Dipke and his party of undermining the Constitution. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also rejected the claims made at the protest, stating that explanations previously provided by the three Election Commissioners had countered the allegations.
