Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Ajinkya Shinde has called for daily marches to Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The announcement came on Saturday, a day after Delhi Police detained more than 4,000 protesters during a crackdown on the party's demonstration.
Addressing a press conference following the police action, Shinde said the protests would continue until the demand for Kumar's removal was met.
"Every day, there will be marches to Jantar Mantar from now on, until Gyanesh Kumar is sacked as CEC," he said.
Shinde was entrusted with leading the protests by CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke. Dipke, along with party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, was detained by Delhi Police after arriving in the national capital.
Opposition leaders detained during protest
The crackdown also saw the detention of several INDIA bloc leaders who attempted to join the demonstration. Those detained included former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar.
The protest was organised to demand Kumar's resignation over allegations concerning the revision of electoral rolls. CJP and opposition parties have accused the Chief Election Commissioner of favouring the BJP during the process of updating voter lists.
The large-scale detentions and police action marked a significant escalation in the confrontation between the protesters and the authorities in the national capital.
CJP vows to continue agitation over SIR
The Election Commission has maintained that the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is a routine exercise aimed at removing the names of deceased, duplicate and ineligible voters.
The opposition, however, has raised concerns over the exercise and alleged irregularities in the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.
With Shinde now calling for daily marches to Jantar Mantar, the CJP has signalled that it intends to continue its agitation until Kumar is removed from office.
The latest call for protests follows a day of unrest in Delhi, where thousands were detained as police moved to contain the demonstration. The party's demand remains centred on the alleged irregularities in voter lists and the accountability of the Chief Election Commissioner.