Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who enjoyed “arrogance and impunity”, would be “fully humbled” by the Gen Z, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Saurav Das said on Monday.
The 27-year-old’s remarks came amid growing criticism of Kumar following a news report that claimed two Election Commissioners raised objections to decisions taken by the CEC in the panel’s name.
In a post on X, Das also questioned the role of the judiciary in dealing with petitions challenging the Election Commission‘s actions. He said the demand for Kumar’s accountability should not be left solely to the courts.
“From walking with so much arrogance and impunity to not being able to leave his residence and cancelling Gen-Z engagements, life has humbled Gyanu. A lesson for other stooges too. Now the young-gen will ensure he is fully humbled,” Das said. He was responding to a fan-edit of the CEC.
CJP questions reliance on courts
In a separate post, Das said several petitions were being filed in the high courts and the Supreme Court against actions taken by Kumar. He referred to the Supreme Court’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal and questioned whether taking the matter to court alone could address what he described as a question of democratic accountability.
“Who is to tell him that there is no ‘next time’ for a possibly stolen election,” he asked. “Because the courts are constitutional institutions, let them hear these new petitions against Gyanesh as many times as they want. Let them pass whatever orders they want to. But our democratic demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s accountability will NOT be outsourced to the courtrooms,” Das wrote.
He added, “The people will decide. Because ultimately, neither an Election Commissioner nor a judge owns Indian democracy. We, the People, do.”
Das also referred to observations made during Supreme Court hearings on the West Bengal SIR. The court had monitored the exercise and directed the authorities to put in place a mechanism for people to challenge their exclusion from the electoral rolls, as per Live Law.
CJP’s ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ on Oct 2
The CJP stepped up its campaign against Kumar on September 24, when it gave the CEC 48 hours to resign and announced plans for a nationwide agitation. “Jantar Mantar 2.0”, they called it, referring to the July agitation which ultimately forced BJP’s Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Union education minister.
On Monday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced a “Jail Bharo Andolan” in Mumbai on October 2 after Mumbai Police denied permission for the group’s proposed protest at Shivaji Park on Gandhi Jayanti.
Dipke said the protest would be held at Shivaji Park at 4pm and called on supporters to join under the slogan “Gyanu must go”.
“Jail Bharo Andolan in Mumbai. October 2, Shivaji Park. #SaveDemocracy,” he wrote on X.
CJP’s demands
The CJP has demanded Kumar’s resignation and criminal proceedings against him and others whom the group alleges were responsible for decisions linked to the Election Commission, HT reported earlier.
It has also called for a freeze on upcoming elections, a rollback of the SIR to the electoral roll and repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners.
The campaign intensified after an investigative Indian Express report claimed Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions over decisions and actions within the poll panel, including those related to electoral-roll revisions and the SIR.
The ECI has maintained that differences of view and written observations are part of its internal deliberations. It has also said decisions on the SIR were taken unanimously.
Gyanesh Kumar’s Gen-Z engagements
Kumar’s proposed interactions with young voters in Uttar Pradesh were also postponed. He was scheduled to visit Meerut on September 25 and Varanasi on September 28 for interactions with the Gen Z.
The Election Commission says the decision was unrelated to the SIR controversy, HT reported earlier. The decision to postpone the visits was taken on September 21 and was linked to logistical and local factors as well as changes in Kumar’s official commitments.
