CJP demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation in 48 hrs, warns of nationwide protests: ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0 will happen if…'

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has issued a stern warning to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation within 48 hours. This demand stems from allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which has resulted in the exclusion of over 13 crore names, or roughly 13-14% of the electorate, from draft electoral rolls in 30 states and union territories. The party claims that this is not a democratic process, but rather a manifestation of autocracy.

CJP National Convenor Abhijeet Dipke, along with co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, announced that if Kumar does not resign within the 48-hour timeframe, they will initiate a nationwide protest and an indefinite sit-in in Delhi. The party has launched a nationwide campaign titled "Election Commission Thik Karo" (Translating to "Make Election Commission Right") to voice their discontent.

The CJP has cited several states, such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Telangana, Delhi, and Kerala, where significant exclusions have occurred. For instance, Maharashtra has seen more than 2 crore names excluded, while Uttar Pradesh has witnessed around 1 crore exclusions. The CJP argues that the Election Commission has failed to provide a clear explanation for these exclusions and has not adequately addressed the review mechanisms put in place.

The party's demands also include the publication of objection notes and responses from Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, who had lodged objections over a period of 10 months concerning decisions related to voter additions, deletions, changes to Form 6, and the centralization of electoral-roll data. The CJP has called for the transparency of these records to allow for independent examination of the claims.

Additionally, the CJP has raised concerns over the online Form 6 registration process, alleging that an additional declaration was introduced, requiring applicants to provide information about their own or their parents' presence in earlier SIR electoral rolls. The party argues that this section was not formally marked as mandatory but was nonetheless required for processing.

They also expressed concern over the centralization of electoral-roll data and the objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi regarding the centralised software and access to electoral-roll data, calling for a public explanation from the Commission.