The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is now looking towards Delhi after its massive Shivaji Park demonstration in Mumbai, with founder Abhijeet Dipke announcing a fresh protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign. The announcement raises the prospect of a repeat of the party’s earlier Jantar Mantar agitation, with Dipke calling it “Jantar Mantar 2.0” and asking supporters across India to march to the national capital. He said the protest would be peaceful.
Cockroach Janta Party puts October 10 on its protest calendar
“If Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi & protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10,” Dipke said in a post on X, adding that it would be a peaceful agitation and calling on citizens who want free and fair elections to join.
The announcement came after thousands gathered at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday despite police denying permission for the event. Speaking there, Dipke had already warned of “Jantar Mantar 2.0” if Kumar did not step down and gave a “Chalo Delhi” call. The Cockroach Janta Party’s earlier Jantar Mantar protest had centred on the NEET paper-leak issue.
Cockroach Janta Party repeats voter-roll allegations in Mumbai
Reports say that at the Shivaji Park rally, CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde demanded that Kumar resign and face criminal proceedings. He also sought freezing of the 2025 voter lists and repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.
Dipke alleged that 13 crore voters had been deleted in two years. He said there were 97 crore registered voters in 2024 and claimed the NDA-INDIA vote gap in the Lok Sabha election was only 2 per cent. He further alleged that Kumar was appointed 15 days before the polls to increase that gap. These claims were made by CJP leaders at the protest. The Cockroach Janta Party has cited alleged voter-roll irregularities as the basis for its demand for Kumar’s resignation.
Cockroach Janta Party targets BJP over Maharashtra and other states
As per reports, Dipke also alleged that the BJP “stole” the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections after 40 lakh voters were added to electoral rolls. He claimed 40,000 voters were deleted in Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi constituency, where Kejriwal lost by 4,000 votes, and alleged that nearly one lakh voters were deleted from MK Stalin’s constituency in Tamil Nadu, where Stalin lost by 10,000 votes. He also said Mamata Banerjee lost similarly in West Bengal after voters in her constituency were deleted.
Responding to the argument that opposition victories in Telangana, Karnataka and Jharkhand showed elections were fair, Dipke said, “When the match is fixed, not all balls are no-balls and not all catches are dropped.” Reportedly, he also accused the BJP of trying to finish regional parties, citing Shiv Sena and NCP, and called the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena a “shell company.”
Cockroach Janta Party rally draws actors, students and activists
As per reports, the Shivaji Park protest also drew Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Vishal Bhardwaj, Hansal Mehta, Vishal Dadlani and Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi. Protesters arrived despite opposition from some local residents and heavy security stretching to Dadar station. SFI and AISF-linked activists joined, while Pune-based AISF groups played musical instruments.
Placards included “Gyanu, Tujha Democracy Var Bharosa Nay Kay?”, “Gyanesh BRO, JUST RESIGN” and “Gaddaar Gyaanu Must Go”. Student Manish Mandal wore jewellery made from Melody chocolate wrappers and carried a “Fraud detergent powder” banner. Law student Aayan Patel said, “Voting is everyone’s right. If that right is not protected, the future of the next generation will be difficult.”
Cockroach Janta Party signals another Delhi showdown
According to reports, Dipke also said, “The government is so incompetent that we have to protest again in two months (after the Jantar Mantar protest over the NEET paper leak).” He questioned the BJP’s simultaneous-election proposal, alleging its real objective was “One Nation, One Election, One Party”, and said Maharashtra was chosen because the alleged irregularities began there.
CJP leader Saurav Das targeted Delhi Police over the detention of protesters at Jantar Mantar, saying, “Delhi Police has again resorted to brutality. We warn Delhi Police to improve or we will improve you.” Shailesh Kamble said several Left-affiliated organisations joined the Mumbai protest.
With October 10 now announced as the next date, the question for the Cockroach Janta Party is whether Mumbai’s mobilisation will turn into the promised “Jantar Mantar 2.0” in Delhi if Kumar does not resign.
Khalid Lateef is a Sub-Editor at NewsX Digital, specializing in Indian politics and global affairs. He also covers viral trending stories and major crime developments.
