The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and announced a 48-hour deadline, warning of protests if he does not step down.
At a press conference in Delhi on Thursday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also demanded a freeze on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and a halt to upcoming elections, according to reports by India Today and Hindustan Times.
The group’s three demands are:
- Resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
- A freeze on the ongoing SIR exercise
- A halt to all upcoming elections
Dipke said the group would launch a protest if Kumar did not resign within 48 hours. He also warned of another protest at Jantar Mantar.
What triggered the Election Commission row?
The CJP’s demands follow an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period regarding decisions and orders issued in the name of the Election Commission.
According to reports, the objections related to issues including voter registration and deletion, changes to Form 6 and aspects of the Election Commission’s voter database and SIR exercise. The commissioners were also reported to have raised concerns over changes to the poll panel’s IT systems and the level of oversight over electoral-roll management.
The report triggered political criticism and calls for action against the CEC from some Opposition leaders.
Election Commission rejects suggestion of a split
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections indicate a division within the poll panel.
The ECI said written notes, observations and technical suggestions raised during internal deliberations are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body. It maintained that decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of all three commissioners.
The poll panel also said its official orders and administrative directions carried full legal sanction and that internal checks and deliberations were intended to ensure transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour.
CJP warns of protest
Dipke said the group would intensify its campaign if its demand for Kumar’s resignation was not met within 48 hours.
The CJP had shifted its focus towards the Election Commission after the report on the commissioners’ objections emerged. The organisation had earlier been campaigning on issues including school infrastructure, tribal education and examination-related concerns.
The group has also criticised the functioning of the Election Commission and raised broader concerns about electoral reforms.
However, allegations that the Election Commission is compromising or “stealing” votes are claims made by CJP representatives and have not been established as facts. The ECI has maintained that its decisions were unanimous and taken in accordance with the law.
The larger SIR controversy
The dispute comes amid the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and wider debate over the management and verification of voter lists.
The reported objections by Sandhu and Joshi have brought renewed attention to how decisions involving voter registration, deletion and electoral databases are deliberated within the poll panel.
The Election Commission, however, has said differences in views, technical inputs and internal observations are a normal part of institutional decision-making and should not be interpreted as evidence of a breakdown within the commission.
