CEC Gyanesh Kumar must resign, says Dipke; warns of countrywide protests

MUMBAI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, and warned of launching protests across the country followed by a stir at Jantar Mantar in Delhi from October end if he did not step down.

Dipke also said that the CJP would not join the Opposition's protest against the poll body on October 6, and would remain an independent movement.

In an interaction at the Mumbai Press Club, he said the CJP will hold a protest at Shivaji Park in Dadar area of the city on October 2 to press for the CEC's resignation.

"Gyanesh Kumar is a traitor. We will not move from Jantar Mantar until he resigns from his post. Gyanesh Kumar should resign and should face criminal charges," Dipke said.

Asked about the Mumbai police denying permission, Dipke asked if Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis could hold a political rally at Shivaji Park, why the CJP could not stage a protest there.

Dissent is a part of democracy and he was ready to be behind bars for three months, he said, referring to Fadnavis's warning that the protesters should not forget that if they were arrested, it would take them three days to get bail.

"I am not afraid of going to jail. I will come back to protest again, again and again," the CJP leader said, taking a dig at Fadnavis's famous assertion in the Maharashtra legislature before the 2019 state elections that he would come back.

"Protests will be held in Goa, Bengaluru, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Patna and Ranchi. If Kumar does not resign, then a protest will be held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi from October end," said CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde.

Asked about the planned protest by Opposition MPs on October 6 against the Election Commission, Dipke said the CJP won't be a part of any political programme and will remain an independent movement.

"But I really appreciate the efforts of the INDIA alliance. Every Indian must speak about election rigging and INDIA alliance should do it as well," Dipke said.

He also demanded that the CEC appointment process should be transparent, and said there should be involvement of civil society. Dipke also called for freezing of the 2025 voter list, saying it should not be "tampered with further".

"There is no trust left. In a democracy, it is the people who choose the government. But how is the country being run now? The government is choosing who the voters will be. What kind of democracy is this?" Dipke asked.

Opposition parties have been critical of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanded his resignation after it came to light that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders, some of which they said were issued without their knowledge.

The Election Commission later clarified that the three-member commission took all decisions, including those relating to the SIR, unanimously.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have announced a protest march against the Election Commission in Mumbai on October 4.