Resign in 48 Hours or We'll Begin Protests: CJP's Ultimatum to Poll Body Chief

New Delhi: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, giving him 48 hours to step down and warning that it would launch a nationwide protest if he did not.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke made the demand at a press conference on Thursday, a day after a report raised questions about differences within the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Dipke alleged that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised concerns regarding aspects of the SIR exercise but that their concerns were not adequately heard. These allegations concern the functioning of the Election Commission and have been reported as claims rather than established findings.

Addressing the press conference, Dipke accused Gyanesh Kumar of posing a serious threat to India's democratic system and called for his immediate resignation. He alleged that the functioning of the electoral system had changed under Kumar's tenure, claiming that decisions relating to who could vote were increasingly being determined by the government rather than voters themselves.

Dipke also alleged that around 13 crore names had been removed from electoral rolls as part of the SIR exercise and claimed that the process was being carried out in a manner that would benefit the ruling BJP. These figures and allegations were presented by Dipke during the press conference and have not been treated here as independently established facts.

He further said that his organisation had no special attachment to any opposition party or political formation, but argued that a democracy requires voters to have meaningful alternatives. Dipke alleged that political developments in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa, as well as developments involving political parties in Maharashtra, reflected a broader pattern of weakening political opposition.

Referring specifically to Maharashtra, Dipke alleged that the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party were split and that their party symbols were subsequently allotted to rival factions. He also claimed that a similar situation was developing in West Bengal.

Dipke attributed these developments to what he described as actions by the Election Commission under Gyanesh Kumar's leadership and alleged that the process was being used to help the ruling party remain in power. The Election Commission's role and the allegations raised by CJP remain matters of political and institutional debate.

The CJP has now given the Chief Election Commissioner 48 hours to resign and has warned that it will begin a nationwide agitation if the demand is not met.