India’s Gen Z Party protests, demands election chief’s resignation

NEW DELHI: India’s Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and separate groups of students and civil society activists launched fresh protests on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations surrounding voter-list revisions.

The CJP planned a demonstration in Mumbai on October 2, with further protests expected in other parts of the country. Student and activist groups also gathered around New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, adding to growing public scrutiny of the Election Commission of India.

The protests centre on allegations that changes to electoral rolls could have affected eligible voters and benefited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission and the government have rejected allegations of wrongdoing, saying the voter-verification exercise is intended to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls by identifying duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible voters.

The controversy intensified after reports said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised concerns over aspects of voter-list revisions, registration procedures and the commission’s digital systems. The Election Commission has maintained that differences of opinion can occur during internal deliberations and that its decisions were taken lawfully.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has said the movement will continue beyond Mumbai, with demonstrations planned in other cities before a larger gathering at Jantar Mantar later this month. The group has called for greater transparency in the appointment of the chief election commissioner and greater accountability within the poll body.

The youth movement first gained wider attention through protests over examination-paper leaks and concerns about unemployment. Its campaign has since expanded into electoral issues, particularly voter registration and the revision of electoral rolls.

CJP co-convenor Saurav Das said the group would continue its protest until Kumar resigned, arguing that the right to vote was central to citizens’ ability to influence government.

Opposition parties are also preparing demonstrations over the issue. India’s Congress party has announced protests beginning October 6, increasing political pressure around the Election Commission and its handling of voter rolls.

The dispute comes as India approaches important state elections, making voter-list accuracy and the functioning of the Election Commission increasingly prominent issues in the country’s political debate.