NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign within 48 hours, warning of nationwide protests if he does not step down, according to media reports.
At a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka also called for a halt to upcoming elections and changes to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The demands came after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over decisions related to electoral-roll management.
The Election Commission has said that differing views and written observations are part of its internal deliberations and maintained that decisions taken over the past year, including those concerning the SIR, were unanimous.
The CJP has also demanded criminal proceedings against those it alleges were responsible for the disputed decisions, along with a review of the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.
The organisation said it would launch a nationwide “Election Commission Thik Karo” campaign if its demands were not met.
