India’s ‘cockroach’ movement demands election chief’s resignation | Politics News
Youth Group Threatens Nationwide Protests Unless Election Chief Resigns
Published on September 25, 2026
A youth movement affiliated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced plans for nationwide protests unless Gyanesh Kumar, India’s chief election officer, resigns by Saturday.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP, declared that the protests would commence in Mumbai on October 2 if Kumar does not step down. This ultimatum follows allegations regarding the manipulation of voter lists, which the CJP claims are intended to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The CJP, a satirical group that emerged on Instagram earlier this year, was inspired by a controversial comment from the chief justice of India, who compared unemployed youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites.” This criticism has garnered significant attention and appeared to challenge the traditional power structures under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conservative government.
The group’s demand for Kumar’s resignation was issued on Thursday, following a report by the Indian Express indicating that two election commissioners had raised concerns about Kumar’s oversight of the voter list updates multiple times over the past ten months. Opposition parties, including the Congress Party, have accused the Election Commission of India of deleting voters’ names and adding new ones without proper verification.
“If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, the CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2 and extend it to cities across India,” Dipke stated on social media platform X. “This Gandhi Jayanti, let’s pledge to save democracy,” he added, referring to the holiday commemorating Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
The Congress Party has announced plans to hold protest marches at state election offices nationwide on Friday, calling for Kumar’s removal and an independent investigation into the changes made to the voter lists under his watch.
In response to the allegations, the Election Commission of India maintained that differing opinions among its members are normal and asserted that all its activities are conducted lawfully. The BJP has defended the commission, suggesting that the opposition’s accusations stem from its repeated electoral losses.
In July, CJP-led protests successfully pressured the Prime Minister to resign his education minister over a scandal related to examination leaks, marking a significant political setback for Modi’s administration.
