New Delhi, Oct. 28 -- As the Opposition prepares to rally against alleged irregularities in electoral roll revision, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has extended its support to the INDIA bloc's November 1 protest at Ramlila Maidan, underlining the need to protect every eligible citizen's right to vote.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the outfit's support in a post on X on Wednesday, declaring, "GYANU MUST GO! The Cockroach Janta Party extends its support to the INDIA Bloc's November 1 rally." He accompanied the message with the hashtags #JaiBhim and #JaiHind, adding, "Nation above all!"
The party backed the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. However, Dipke did not specify whether CJP members would physically participate in the rally.
Reiterating the party's commitment to electoral fairness, Dipke said CJP would stand with organisations working to safeguard democratic rights. "Our Constitution gave every adult citizen the right to vote. It is our responsibility to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of that right," he said.
Explaining its opposition to the SIR exercise, the CJP founder argued that the credibility of the electoral process depended on ensuring that eligible voters could exercise their franchise without obstacles.
"The fundamental principle of democracy is that people get to choose their government, not that the government gets to choose its voters," he said, alleging that the revision exercise had undermined confidence in the process. He added that Kumar had "lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections" and called his resignation necessary to restore the Election Commission's credibility and independence.
Dipke also invoked the constitutional principle of universal adult suffrage associated with Dr BR Ambedkar, stressing that voting rights must remain equal irrespective of caste, religion, gender, education or economic background.
He said the Constitution's framers trusted ordinary citizens with the power to shape the country's future, even when millions had never voted before.
"The idea was simple: bring more citizens into democracy, not keep them out of it," he said.
The INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan is expected to bring together Opposition voices demanding accountability over the electoral roll revision process. CJP's endorsement adds another expression of support to the campaign, with the party emphasising that safeguarding voting rights is essential to preserving democratic participation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.