CJP gives CEC Gyanesh Kumar 48-hour ultimatum, threatens nationwide stir
Synopsis
A fringe political outfit, the Cockroach Janata Party, has issued a 48-hour resignation ultimatum to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging systemic voter roll manipulation, targeted deletions in opposition constituencies, and ECI partisanship — claims that, if they gain traction with mainstream parties, could intensify an already fraught national debate over electoral integrity.
Key Takeaways
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) issued a 48-hour ultimatum to CEC Gyanesh Kumar on 24 September 2026 , demanding resignation or face a nationwide agitation.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged voter deletions in constituencies of Mamata Banerjee ( 50,000 votes ), M.K.
Stalin ( 1 lakh votes ), and Arvind Kejriwal ( 40,000 votes ) — claims not independently verified.
Dipke accused the ECI of favouring the BJP and linked the alleged manipulation to the party's 240-seat performance after targeting ' 400 paar ' in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections .
The CJP also alleged ECI involvement in the Shiv Sena (UBT) party split and reallocation of Uddhav Thackeray 's election symbol.
Neither the ECI nor CEC Gyanesh Kumar had publicly responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Thursday, 24 September 2026, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his immediate resignation and threatening a nationwide agitation if he refuses to step down. The warning came amid reported tensions within the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Ultimatum and Key Allegations
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke stated, 'If within 48 hours Gyanesh Kumar doesn't resign, the Cockroach Janata Party will start a nationwide agitation. We won't step back till the time Gyanesh Kumar resigns.' Dipke accused the CEC of being, in his words, 'the biggest anti-national of this country' and alleged that under Kumar's tenure, the ECI had undermined democratic processes.
Dipke alleged a fundamental inversion of democratic principles, saying: 'Democracy meant that the people would choose the government; the people would decide whom they want to vote for. But ever since Gyanesh Kumar became the Chief Election Commissioner, the government has been deciding who will vote and who will not.' The CJP characterised this as 'autocracy', not democracy — claims that have not been independently verified.
Voter Deletion Claims and 2024 Lok Sabha References
Dipke drew a contested link to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell short of a majority, winning 240 seats after campaigning on a '400 paar' target, and that this prompted what he described as electoral manipulation in subsequent contests. These are allegations made by the CJP and have not been corroborated by official records.
He alleged selective voter deletions in constituencies associated with prominent opposition figures: 50,000 votes allegedly removed from the constituency of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who reportedly lost by around 15,000 votes; one lakh votes from the constituency of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who allegedly lost by around 45,000 votes; and 40,000 votes from former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's constituency, where the CJP claims Kejriwal lost by 4,000–5,000 votes. These figures are the CJP's own claims and have not been verified independently.
Shiv Sena Symbol Row and Broader ECI Criticism
Dipke also alleged that the ECI played a role in the split of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's party and the subsequent reallocation of its election symbol. 'Uddhav Thackeray's party was split, and its election symbol was taken away by the Election Commission. The Election Commission very cleverly and proactively took away that election symbol and gave it to a proxy party, which you could call a shell company,' he alleged. The ECI has not publicly responded to these specific claims.
Co-Convenor's Remarks on Electoral Integrity
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das also addressed the press conference, arguing that the right to vote had been undermined. 'They have turned the country into a huge joke under the current system. This system is corrupt; this system is broken. The youth of the country is demanding change,' Das said, adding that disenfranchisement removes the primary mechanism citizens have for effecting change in governance.
What Comes Next
The CJP has set a deadline expiring within 48 hours of 24 September 2026. The party has not detailed the specific form the threatened agitation will take. The ECI and CEC Gyanesh Kumar had not issued a public response to the demands at the time of reporting. Whether established opposition parties formally align with the CJP's position remains to be seen.
Point of View
And its ultimatum to the Chief Election Commissioner will carry little institutional weight on its own. But the allegations it has articulated — voter roll deletions in opposition strongholds, ECI partisanship during the 2024 cycle, the Shiv Sena symbol controversy — are grievances that mainstream opposition parties have separately voiced. The risk for the ECI is not this press conference; it is the slow accumulation of unrefuted allegations eroding public confidence in electoral administration. The Commission's silence in the face of specific, numbered claims is itself a communications failure that more organised political forces may yet exploit.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has the Cockroach Janata Party demanded from CEC Gyanesh Kumar?
The Cockroach Janata Party has demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign within 48 hours, issuing the ultimatum on 24 September 2026. The party has threatened a nationwide agitation if he does not comply.
What are the CJP's main allegations against the Election Commission?
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has alleged that the ECI under Gyanesh Kumar orchestrated targeted voter deletions in opposition constituencies, manipulated the 2024 electoral outcomes to benefit the BJP, and played a role in the Shiv Sena (UBT) party split and symbol reallocation. These are the party's unverified allegations.
What voter deletion figures has the CJP cited?
The CJP alleges 50,000 votes were deleted from Mamata Banerjee's constituency (where she reportedly lost by 15,000 votes), one lakh from M.K. Stalin's constituency (loss of roughly 45,000 votes), and 40,000 from Arvind Kejriwal's constituency (loss of 4,000–5,000 votes). None of these figures have been independently verified.
Has the ECI or CEC Gyanesh Kumar responded to these allegations?
Neither the Election Commission of India nor CEC Gyanesh Kumar had issued a public response to the CJP's demands or allegations at the time of reporting.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls?
The Special Intensive Revision is a periodic exercise by the Election Commission of India to update and clean electoral rolls, removing ineligible voters and adding new ones. The CJP alleges that the SIR process under the current CEC has been misused to delete legitimate voters, particularly in opposition-held constituencies — a charge the ECI has not publicly addressed.
