Goa, May 22 -- A cockroach has entered India's political conversation in an unusual way, not as a real candidate, but as a viral online political identity. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), launched just a few days ago, has quickly gained massive attention on social media platforms, even reportedly surpassing the Instagram following of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the country's ruling party and one of the largest political organisations in the world.

The party, however, remains a digital phenomenon rather than a formal political force. Founded by Abhijeet Dipke, who is based in Boston, the CJP has attracted online buzz, meme-driven popularity, and symbolic "memberships," including claims of association by a few political figures on s...