CJP Leaders Say Ready to Face Jail Ahead of Mumbai Protest, Demand CEC’s Resignation

Leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Friday said they were prepared to go to jail if necessary to demand accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, ahead of the party’s scheduled protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park over allegations of “vote theft”.

CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke had earlier announced the agitation, demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Speaking to IANS, CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka alleged that 13 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls and said the party was prepared to face imprisonment if it could help secure accountability and restore the affected votes.

“If going to jail can bring back the votes of 13 crore people, and if going to jail can ensure accountability for Gyanesh Kumar, then we are absolutely ready to go to jail,” Ranka said, accusing the CEC of being responsible for the alleged deletions.

Ranka added that the party would continue its agitation until its demands were met, just as it had during its previous protest.

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Another CJP co-convener, Saurav Das, said the party had chosen Mumbai as the starting point for its latest agitation, referring to an earlier movement against then-Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, during which he said large numbers of young people had participated.

Das said the party had witnessed significant public participation in Mumbai and wanted to begin its next phase of agitation from the city.

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Das appealed to young people across the country to join the protest, calling for collective action against what he described as a conspiracy to undermine the voting rights of the youth.

He said the planned demonstration was intended to be a large-scale movement focused on safeguarding the country and ensuring that citizens’ votes and rights were protected.

Das also alleged that individuals linked to the BJP had attempted to disrupt the planned agitation. He claimed that the party had shared photographs of some of the alleged individuals, while asserting that ordinary residents and citizens would have no reason to oppose a protest seeking to protect voting rights.

He said the CJP had submitted an intimation to the Mumbai Police and expressed confidence in cooperation with the force. Das maintained that the protest would be peaceful and would mark the beginning of a nationwide agitation.

CJP leader Sidhant Bhardwaj said people had started arriving at Shivaji Park hours before the protest’s scheduled start at 4 p.m.

Bhardwaj said the enthusiasm among participants reminded him of the party’s earlier Jantar Mantar agitation. He added that people from different states, cities and villages had gathered with what he described as a shared commitment to the country.

Claiming that more people were expected to join, Bhardwaj estimated that the protest could attract at least 40,000 to 50,000 participants, with the possibility of attendance exceeding one lakh.