CJP warns of ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ unless CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigns

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday, September 24, 2026 demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday (September 24, 2026) demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar for “undermining” electoral rights through the ongoing special intensive review (SIR) of electoral rolls. The group warned of a nationwide agitation and “Jantar Mantar 2.0” if they did not resign within 48 hours.

The CJP’s demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation comes a day after an investigation by The Indian Express revealed that two other election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had raised at least 14 objections to SIR decisions between October 2025 and August 2026, many of which they said were taken without their knowledge.

Electoral Commission line update 24 September 2026

“To ensure free and fair elections, CEC Gyanesh Kumar must resign,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told a press conference. He said that if Mr. Kumar did not resign within two days, the team would lead a sit-in like the one at Jantar Mantar in June and campaigns across the country.

Over a dozen police officers were deployed outside the venue, the NM Center in New Delhi, where the group had gathered.

Mr. Dipke alleged that the election process was “rigged” and that the right to vote was taken away from citizens, for which the CEC was responsible.

Mr. Dipke also said that the opposition parties should stand against election rigging. He said: “If you know that an election is rigged, you should take a stand; you cannot participate in an election and speak against rigging at the same time.”

CJP co-organizer Saurav Das said, “Everywhere we go as part of our ‘School Theek Karo’ campaign, people are angry and demanding change. One important tool for change is our right to vote. It cannot be compromised.”

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Three demands of the CJP

Besides calling for Mr. Kumar’s resignation within 48 hours, the CJP also made two other demands, including criminal proceedings against the CEC. “Criminal proceedings should be initiated against Gyanesh Kumar immediately,” said the organization’s co-organizer Ashutosh Ranka.

Mr. Ranka further said, “An independent commission of inquiry should be set up to investigate all the proceedings of the SIR so far. The Supreme Court should seize all the files related to the decision-making in the SIR before the EC is destroyed.”

He also demanded that all the upcoming elections be stopped and that the pre-SIR lists of January 2025 be restored in all states.

The CJP’s third demand is to repeal the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023. “The new law should be revised with active participation of civil society, an independent selection process that inspires public confidence,” Mr Ranka said.

“We have to take to the streets. Who is Gyanesh Kumar to take away our voting rights and strike out our names?” he said.

Editorial | Deep rot: On the functioning of the Election Commission of India during its SIR

“The biggest threat to democracy”

Mr Dipke called the CEC a threat to Indian democracy, citing the ruling party winning more states than during the height of the “Modi wave”. “He should resign immediately as he is the biggest threat to India’s democracy. What did democracy mean in our country? Democracy meant that the government was elected by the people. Ever since Gyanesh Kumar became the Chief Election Commissioner, the government decides who can vote and who cannot. Is this democracy?” he asked.

Referring to the report, Mr. Das said, “The remaining two Election Commissioners have clearly declared it illegal, but even then the Election Commission of India under Gyanesh Kumar and whoever controls or controls him has continued to carry out these illegal actions for months. It has been going on for a long time, almost one and a half years since the start of SIR.”

Published – 24 Sep 2026 16:26 IST