Mumbai’s Shivaji Park saw a 10,000-strong mobilisation against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, with CJP now setting its sights on Delhi and announcing an October 10 Jantar Mantar protest if he does not resign.
Photo : PTI
Mumbai’s Shivaji Park turned into a launchpad for a bigger confrontation on Friday as thousands rallied despite police denying permission, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) putting CEC Gyanesh Kumar at the centre of its protest and threatening to take the fight to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The Mumbai Police Special Branch estimated the gathering at 9,000-10,000 people around 4 pm when the demonstration began. The protest, held against alleged electoral roll deletions and demanding Kumar’s resignation, remained largely peaceful, with security personnel managing the crowd as protesters cheered and applauded from the venue.
The message from the stage was clear: if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said, the next mobilisation will be in Delhi.
‘If Gyanu Doesn’t Go, All The Gen Z Will Go To Delhi’
Addressing the gathering, Dipke warned that failure by the Chief Election Commissioner to resign would trigger nationwide Gen Z marches towards the national capital.
“If Gyanu doesn’t resign, Nandu will have to resign, because he is the one actually rigging elections. If Gyanu doesn’t go, all the Gen Z of the country will go to Delhi to protest,” Dipke said.
He urged protesters to “fight even for the people you don’t know” before ending his address with a line from the Maharashtra state anthem: “Delhi che hi takht rakhito Maharashtra mazha.”
The crowd also made its Delhi intentions clear, chanting, “Jo karna hai karlo par hum final Jantar Mantar mein hi khelenge.”
The CJP later also made it clear that “Cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi and protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10” if CEC Gyanesh Kumar does not resign.
Taking to X, Dipke wrote, “If Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi & protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10. If Delhi Police tries to stop us, wherever they stop us will become our Jantar Mantar.”
‘Mumbai Police We Love’, Delhi Police Booed
The contrast between the local police presence and the protesters’ attitude towards Delhi was visible during the demonstration.
Despite the lack of permission, Mumbai Police maintained heavy security around Shivaji Park. Barricades were installed to keep vehicles away from the protest area, while personnel managed the movement of people arriving in smaller groups and worked to keep traffic flowing outside the venue.
Amid the hot and humid conditions, protesters chanted, “Mumbai police we love.” References to Delhi Police, however, drew boos from the gathering.
Compared with CJP’s earlier protest in June, Friday’s mobilisation also appeared more structured, with trained marshals overseeing crowd movement and a dedicated digital content team documenting the demonstration as patriotic songs played at the venue.
Political Defections, ‘IPL Auction’ Jibe
Dipke also turned his attack towards political defections and the governing alliance.
Pointing to 111 MPs and MLAs who he said had switched political parties in recent years, including 99 who joined the BJP or its allies, Dipke sarcastically suggested that politicians could simply be traded openly.
“So why don’t we just have an IPL-style auction for them instead directly?” he asked.
He also accused the CEC of being brought in to widen what he described as the narrow 2% vote gap between the winning coalition and the Opposition through voter roll deletions. Those allegations were made by Dipke at the rally and were not independently established in the remarks cited here.
CJP co-founder Ashutosh Ranka separately alleged that nearly 13 crore names had been erased from electoral rolls over two years.
SIR, Demonetisation And The ‘Stand In Line’ Attack
Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru, Dipke framed the protest as a larger fight over democratic rights.
“They thought once Gandhi is shot he will be finished, but he is immortal; there is a Gandhi in each and everyone here. This country is dependent on ideals of Gandhi. In the same way, Ambedkar is the backbone and Nehru is the mind of India,” he said.
Taking aim at the government’s handling of public policy, Dipke said citizens had repeatedly been made to stand in queues.
“They taught us what democracy was, they taught us about our rights, about elections, about democracy, and what Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is. Whereas this govt only wants us to stand in line, first during demonetisation and now for Special Intensive Revision (SIR),” he said.
Dipke also responded to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ reported warning that protesters could face three days in jail without bail.
“Fadnavis said we would have to spend 3 days in jail without bail, but to him I say: You are the chief minister of Maharashtra who has a certain legacy and culture, and threatening young children this way is wrong. Even if you keep us in jail for 3 months, not 3 days, I’ll keep coming again and again and again,” Dipke said.