The Cockroach Janta Party and student groups are demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over voter-roll revisions, allegations the Election Commission denies.
WEB DESK: India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and separate student and civil society groups staged protests on Friday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over changes to electoral rolls.
The CJP held a demonstration in Mumbai, while student and civil society groups gathered at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The protests are part of a wider dispute over the Election Commission’s nationwide voter-verification exercise.
Protesters Demand Poll Chief’s Resignation
The protesters allege that changes to voter rolls have removed eligible voters and could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Election Commission and the government have rejected allegations that the voter-roll process was manipulated to favour the ruling party.
The Election Commission has said that differences among its officials are a normal part of institutional deliberations and that its actions have followed the law.
CJP convenor Saurav Das said the group would continue its protest until Kumar resigns, according to Reuters. The organisation plans to expand demonstrations to other parts of India.
Concerns Over Voter-List Revisions
The dispute centres on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The exercise was launched to verify voter eligibility and update electoral registers. The commission says the process is intended to identify duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible voters and improve the accuracy of electoral rolls.
Opposition parties and protest groups, however, argue that the revisions have resulted in the exclusion of eligible voters.
Reuters reported that the controversy has intensified following an investigation by The Indian Express, which found that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised concerns at least 14 times over 10 months about aspects of voter-list revisions, registration procedures and the commission’s digital systems.
The Election Commission acknowledged the existence of the notes but described differing views as part of its decision-making process and said its decisions had been unanimous.
Election Commission Takes Further Steps
Amid the controversy, the Election Commission has ordered a review of its voter-roll software and introduced changes to the verification process.
Reuters reported that the commission also ordered officials to register newly eligible voters and those previously omitted from electoral rolls.
The commission has defended the broader voter-verification exercise as a lawful process designed to improve electoral-roll accuracy.
Student and Civil Society Groups Join
The Friday demonstrations were not limited to the CJP.
Student and civil society groups gathered in New Delhi, while the CJP organised its own demonstration in Mumbai and said it intended to take its campaign to additional cities.
Reuters reported that protesters in Delhi faced police action as authorities sought to control gatherings around Jantar Mantar.
Separate opposition-led demonstrations are also planned. Congress-led opposition parties have announced protests for October 6, with the Election Commission remaining the focus of their criticism.
CJP Emerges From Youth Protest Movement
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged from a youth-led protest movement earlier this year.
The group gained national attention after demonstrations over examination-paper leaks. Those protests preceded the resignation of India’s education minister, according to Reuters.
The group has since shifted its focus toward electoral issues and is demanding accountability from the Election Commission.
Supreme Court Challenge Also Underway
The controversy has also reached India’s Supreme Court.
The court has agreed to hear a petition challenging aspects of the Election Commission’s functioning under Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise. The petition alleges that some decisions were taken without the required collective decision-making of the multi-member commission.
The allegations remain subject to judicial consideration. The Election Commission has disputed claims of a breakdown in its internal decision-making process.
