MUMBAI/NEW DELHI, Oct 1 — Pressure on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar mounted on Thursday as Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded his resignation and warned of nationwide protests. The Congress also said citizens would no longer tolerate what it described as “vote theft,” highlighting growing opposition claims that the electoral system is being undermined.
Speaking at the Mumbai Press Club, Dipke said his party would remain an independent movement and would not join the Opposition’s October 6 protest against the Election Commission. The CJP instead plans to protest at Shivaji Park in Dadar on October 2, seeking Kumar’s removal.
Dipke called the election commissioner a “traitor” and said Kumar should resign and face criminal charges. After Mumbai police denied permission for the protest, he questioned why Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had been allowed to hold a political rally at the same venue. Dipke said dissent is part of democracy and that he was prepared to spend three months in jail if necessary.
CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde said protests were planned in Goa, Bengaluru, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Patna and Ranchi. He added that if Kumar did not resign, the party would hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi from the end of October.
Dipke also demanded a transparent process for appointing the election commissioner, with civil society involved, and called for the 2025 voter list to be frozen to prevent further alleged tampering. “There is no trust left,” he said, adding that the government, rather than voters, appeared to be deciding who could participate in elections.
In New Delhi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said demands to “protect” the electoral system were growing louder. Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, Ramesh alleged that changes to Form 6 were introduced unconstitutionally in mid-July 2026 to remove Gen Z voters from electoral rolls and claimed the move was orchestrated by the prime minister and home minister.
The criticism followed a meeting of 19 INDIA bloc parties that announced “save democracy” marches in all districts and five major rallies. The bloc also called for future elections to be conducted using ballots and asked the Supreme Court to expedite cases concerning the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and alleged electoral malpractices.
Opposition MPs are scheduled to march to the Election Commission on October 6, while opposition leaders plan to meet the president. The bloc said it would continue pressing for Kumar’s resignation until he left office. (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/10/02/cec-a-traitor-must-resign-cjp-warns-of-nationwide-protests/
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Publish Date: 2026-10-02 06:01:00
