CJP protest demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Mumbai’s Shivaji Park in Dadar on Friday, October 2, 2026, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration, organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), proceeded despite police denying permission and barricading routes from Dadar railway station, with an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 people sitting outside the park's gates holding the tricolour. Police deployed around 800 personnel, including riot control units, across central Mumbai.

Senior CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke led the charges, demanding criminal proceedings against Kumar and calling for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to be frozen. The CJP cited media reports alleging that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over ten months to decisions related to the SIR. The party claims some decisions were issued without the knowledge of the other two commissioners.

The group presented a list of demands:

Celebrities, opposition parties, and civil society join the protest

Prominent figures including actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, singer Vishal Dadlani, and Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi attended. Political support came from the Shiv Sena-UBT and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Activists from the Students' Federation of India and the All India Students' Federation were also present.

Shabana Azmi connected the protest to fundamental rights. "Since childhood we have been hearing voting is our right, but if the same right is taken away, then what will we do, we protest," she said. NCP leader Anish Gawande claimed the SIR exercise disproportionately affected marginalized communities, including people in Assam who lost documents in floods and transgender persons without identity cards.

Slogans and speeches reflect deep constitutional concerns

CJP conveners Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, along with legal head Ratna Singh, addressed the crowd. Slogans like ‘Gyanesh, it’s done, bro’ and ‘Ek Jeera, Do Ajwain, Gyanesh karo resign’ filled the air. The patriotic song Rang De Basanti played in the background.

Speeches framed the issue as a battle for constitutional integrity. Abhijit Dipke linked Kumar's fate directly to the Prime Minister, stating, "If Gyanu is gone, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also go." Ashutosh Ranka warned that the protest was merely a beginning. He said this is just a trailer as the picture will be at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Tragedy and tension mark the protest’s aftermath

A 75-year-old attendee, Gopalakrishna Subbaiya Pillai from Thane, suffered a fatal heart attack around 5 p.m. after complaining of chest pain. He was taken to Sushrusha Hospital with the help of a friend and police but succumbed, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police Mahendra Pandit.

After the protest concluded, an argument broke out between CJP supporters and some right-wing groups. Earlier in the day, Abhijeet Dipke had paid floral tributes to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in south Mumbai on Gandhi's birth anniversary, criticizing the Narendra Modi-led central government as incompetent.

The Election Commission later clarified that all decisions, including those on electoral roll revisions, were taken unanimously by its three-member body. CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka vowed the movement would continue.