Gen Z group behind India’s cockroach protests holds off on forming a political party

The Cockroach Janta Party, the youth movement that forced a top Indian minister to quit, says it has no plans yet to contest elections despite its growing influence among young voters.

Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the group, told a foreign news agency on Tuesday that the organization intends to stay focused on grassroots mobilization rather than rush into formal politics. The statement comes weeks after protests led by Dipke swept through Delhi and spread to other parts of the country, ultimately pressuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s education minister to step down.

Speaking from his family home in Maharashtra, Dipke said the group wants to first understand what young Indians actually want before deciding its next move. He announced that supporters would gather for a two day meeting starting Wednesday to map out priorities for the movement going forward.

“The purpose will be to form the agenda for the Cockroach Janta Party and discuss how we can take this social movement forward,” Dipke said, as well wishers arrived at his home carrying flowers and gifts.

Dipke made clear that entering electoral politics is not on the table for now, though he left the door open for the future. He said he would only consider building a formal party if a clear majority of supporters pushed for it, and that any decision to contest elections would come later, guided by public sentiment rather than a fixed timeline.

He argued that Indian politics does not currently need another party competing for power. Instead, he said, the country requires a broader public campaign aimed at restoring faith in institutions that have lost credibility among ordinary citizens. Dipke said the group’s immediate priority is to give voice to the frustrations of India’s youth, many of whom, in his view, no longer trust the country’s political class, judiciary or press.

He emphasized the importance of listening directly to young people before setting any formal agenda, saying it was necessary to understand their actual concerns rather than assume them. Dipke made these comments while still recovering from typhoid, which he contracted during the weeks he spent camped out during the Delhi demonstrations.

A hero’s welcome at home

Following the 36 day protest, Dipke traveled back to his hometown of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where hundreds of supporters lined up outside his home to greet him, many carrying flowers in celebration of the movement’s success.

Dipke’s rise to prominence has been rapid. After returning to India in June from his studies in the United States, he became a household name almost overnight when his call to protest against leaked medical entrance exam papers pulled tens of thousands of young demonstrators onto the streets of the capital.

The pressure campaign achieved a significant result on July 25, when Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post. Authorities had attempted to disperse the crowds using tear gas and baton charges, but the demonstrations continued regardless. In the aftermath, the government announced tougher legal penalties for those involved in leaking exam papers and formed a committee to reassess the broader examination system.

The stakes attached to these entrance exams are enormous for India’s youth. Millions of students spend years preparing for them, viewing a strong result as their surest route to stable, well paying careers and financial security for their families.

Wary of political traps

Dipke explained that he is avoiding a formal political launch partly out of concern that the government could use investigations or legal pressure to undermine the party’s leadership if it formalized too quickly. He also said he has no intention of aligning the movement with any existing political party, even as opposition figures in India have tried to capitalize on the rare momentum the protests created against Modi’s government.

Some of that caution appears to draw on regional experience. In neighboring Bangladesh, a youth led party that emerged after mass protests ousted long time leader Sheikh Hasina in 2024 went on to perform poorly in this year’s elections, a result that may be shaping how Dipke approaches the question of formal politics in India.

Political observers say the true test of whether young Indians’ frustration translates into votes will come in elections scheduled for next year in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, along with Punjab and Modi’s home state of Gujarat. A bigger risk for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party could emerge in the 2029 general election if the Cockroach Janta Party evolves into a formal political force by then.

Political analyst Amitabh Tiwari said the movement is unlikely to cause major damage to the BJP in upcoming state elections but could grow into a more serious factor by the time of the next general election. He added that if the group builds a party structure, continues championing youth causes and sustains its current momentum, it stands a real chance of attracting broader support.

Security concerns following the protests remain high. More than a dozen police officers have been stationed outside Dipke’s family home after he received threats on social media once his profile surged following the initial call to protest in May, a period in which the Cockroach Janta Party’s Instagram following grew to 22 million within days.

Dipke said his greatest worry is not for his own safety but for that of his parents. He expressed relief at being back home and said he trusts that government provided security will keep his family safe in the coming weeks.

The episode adds to a growing pattern across South Asia, where youth led movements have increasingly forced political concessions from long entrenched governments, even when those movements stop short of transforming into electoral parties themselves.