'Fake like...CEC holding fair elections': CJP on Dipke detention reports
What's the story
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has dismissed reports claiming its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, was detained by the Mumbai police at Marine Drive. The reports stated that Dipke was taken to a police station after being seen with placards before a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Replying to a PTI report claiming his detention, the CJP replied on X, "This news is as fake as CEC Gyanesh Kumar conducting free and fair elections."
Protest details
CJP's protest against ECI
The CJP has planned a protest at 4:00pm on Friday at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, near Gate No. 6 in Mumbai, demanding CEC Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and accountability in the functioning of the Election Commission of India (EC).
The campaign will start in Mumbai and then spread across the country, ending with a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Protest agenda
CJP demands Gyanesh Kumar's resignation
Other than Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, the CJP also wants the 2025 electoral roll to be frozen and future elections conducted on it.
Additionally, they demand a transparent process for appointing the next Election Commissioner with civil society participation.
Dipke has alleged that around 13 crore voters have been deleted from electoral rolls since 2024, impacting election outcomes.
Political alliance
Protests also planned in Delhi
The CJP's protest comes as opposition parties step up their campaign against Kumar over the ECI's functioning.
In Delhi, several groups, including the All India Students' Association (AISA) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have planned a protest at Jantar Mantar even though the Delhi Police have denied permission and imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) across New Delhi district.
The demonstration was expected to start at 11:00am with an estimated turnout of 3,000-4,000 people.