Guwahati: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has dug in its heels on its call for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to quit, vowing to press ahead with a countrywide agitation from October 2 over what it terms the “mass erasure” of 13 crore voters from draft electoral rolls.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, addressing journalists in Guwahati, said the youth-led outfit would not dilute its demand and dared Kumar to confront the allegations in full public view.
‘Ball Now In CJP’s Court’
In a sharp indictment, Ranka accused the Chief Election Commissioner of having “defrauded” 13 crore citizens by striking their names off the electoral rolls, and pressed the BJP to explain why it appeared to be “defending” Kumar in the face of these charges, as reported by The New Indian Express.
“For 48 hours, the ball was in Kumar’s court; now it is in CJP’s court. We will start our nationwide protest on October 2, and we won’t back down till he resigns. CJP is a platform which, if it gets involved in any matter, doesn’t let go of it until we win,” Ranka said.
The statement follows CJP’s September 24 ultimatum seeking Kumar’s resignation over alleged “undermining” of voter rights, with a warning of pan-India demonstrations, including a “Jantar Mantar 2.0”, if he failed to step down within 48 hours.
Under the banner of its ‘Election Commission Thik Karo’ campaign, CJP has focused on the alleged deletion of more than 13 crore entries from draft rolls across 30 states and Union territories during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Asked about reports that permission for CJP’s October 2 protest in Mumbai had been denied, Ranka hit back: “Who gave permission to Kumar to remove the names, fraudulently redraw constituencies in Assam? The ‘netas’ and Kumar-type people are destroying democracy. Who has given them permission for such acts?”
“This is democracy, and all can vote; and we will ensure it,” the CJP leader said.
Assam Delimitation
Ranka alleged that delimitation in Assam was engineered to favour the ruling BJP-led dispensation, claiming that “people of one village were able to vote in three Assembly constituencies to help (Chief Minister) Himanta Biswa Sarma win”.
He further accused the BJP of shielding the CEC and the Election Commission over “vote chori” charges, and asked why the poll body had stayed silent.
‘Why Is BJP Defending Kumar’?
“As far as I remember, EC is an independent democratic institution and not a BJP wing. Why is BJP defending Kumar? Let him take Rajya Sabha membership from the BJP,” Ranka said.
“Or, if Kumar has the slightest respect for democracy left, let him come on record in a press conference and tell the public that the findings of The Indian Express report were correct or wrong,” he added.
According to The Indian Express investigation, the two other members of the three‑strong poll panel — Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi — repeatedly went on record to question SIR‑linked moves on the electoral rolls, registering formal dissent at least 14 times in ten months over issues such as mass deletions, changes to registration procedures and access to the voter database.
Ranka accused the ruling establishment of displaying an “arrogant mindset”, reducing the youth to the status of “insects and cockroaches”, and cautioned that Gen Z would hit back “in its own language”.