Mumbai Protest Demands Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation Over SIR

Gen-Z does not mince words. They speak plainly, to your face, and with innovative “no holds barred” posters. A poster demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at the protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Mumbai on October 2 read: “Gyanesh, it’s done bro.” Another poster warned: “Gyanesh Kumar, Next stop, Tihar Jail.” The CJP has launched a nationwide protest against Kumar, demanding his resignation, an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, and the restoration of all names removed from voters’ lists after June 25, 2025, the starting point of the SIR. Mumbai’s response to the protest is a shot in the arm for the CJP, which has now announced a protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on October 10. “We won’t stop till Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” declared Abhijeet Dipke, founder of CJP, in Mumbai.

“Why was SIR launched in the first place? Because in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP was eyeing 400 seats but was reduced to 240. They realised that people would defeat them one day. So to stay in power, they have launched this operation and are removing the names of possible anti-BJP voters,” alleged Dipke in his speech in Mumbai. He appealed to the youth of the country to come forward and join the protest to save democracy. “BJP is hijacking democracy. It is our job to save Indian democracy. I am not asking you to support any particular party. It’s your choice. My point is simple: we need to stop the BJP and its allies like the Election Commission from stealing our votes,” Dipke added.

Explaining why the campaign began in Mumbai, Dipke said, “The first experiment of fudging the electoral list took place in the Maharashtra Assembly election in 2024. That’s why we are starting this protest from Mumbai.” He announced that over the next few days, the CJP would hold similar gatherings across the country before reaching Jantar Mantar. “They [the government] are saying that they will stop us from reaching Jantar Mantar. They also say that this protest won’t get public support. You [the government] just see. When we reach Jantar Mantar, it will be a much bigger protest than the first one [over NEET],” said Dipke.

BJP leaders and activists strongly opposed the CJP’s Mumbai protest. Cabinet Minister for Ports Development and Fisheries in Maharashtra Nitesh Rane called it a “gathering of Umar Khalid supporters”. Dipke and his colleagues also took the BJP head-on. “For the past twelve years, the BJP could do whatever they want because they kept us busy in Hindu-Muslim controversies. If India wants to progress, then it will progress only if Hindus and Muslims of India are united. So, hereafter, do not fall into the trap of BJP’s divisive politics. Unite and defeat them,” appealed Dipke.

The crowd at the Mumbai protest had come from across Maharashtra and beyond, carrying banners and posters. Ganesh Sonkambale from Navi Mumbai carried a banner that read: “Dimagi Vote Chor”, a taunt directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently called protesters in New Delhi “Dimagi naxals” (intellectual Naxals). The protesters in Mumbai strongly rejected Modi’s attempt to paint anti-BJP and anti-government protests as naxalite-driven. “Gyanesh Kumar is not doing this [SIR] for himself. He is doing it to help the BJP. That’s why I call him ‘Dimagi Vote Chor’,” said Sonkambale.

A poster that reads: “Raaja ki jaan tote mein hain” (The king’s life is in the parrot), depicting Modi as the king and Gyanesh Kumar as the parrot. | Photo Credit: Amey Tirodkar

Another poster read, “Raaja ki jaan tote mein hain” (The king’s life is in the parrot), depicting Modi as the king and Kumar as the parrot. “We know who is behind Gyanesh Kumar. It is the BJP. It is Modi. If EC is removed, then Modi will lose his power,” said Rakesh Jadhav, who held that poster. Mahadev Patil from Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune, had brought a book he had written. He said: “This book is about the BJP’s scams. I deliberately named it ‘Ward Number 3 in jail is waiting for you’ because I want to tell Gyanesh Kumar and his colleagues that they are not above the law.”

Sahil Phelim had come from Manipur, demanding that the National Register of Citizens and SIR be carried out simultaneously in Manipur. “In Manipur, elected representatives of Burma are contesting elections. That’s the joke that this election process has become in Manipur. I am demanding a genuine clean-up of the voter list,” said Sahil. Avanindra Kumar from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, said, “I couldn’t go to the earlier protest at Jantar Mantar due to some personal reasons. But this agitation is necessary. It is for our future.” Dharampal Ahire, who had come to the protest from Akola in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, said: “I am here to support my fellow citizens. My name is there [in the draft voter list]. But there are many people whose names have been missing. It is our collective responsibility to keep the election process in India influence-free. I am here to support all those who want to fight for clean elections.”

When asked about the BJP’s charge that the protesters were “anti-national”, Yuwes Hodekar, a young protester from Ratnagiri, said, “The BJP should realise that their time of distributing certificates of nationalism to others is gone. The people of the country are now seeing through BJP’s game plan. We are here to save India, save the Indian democracy, and the BJP is the real challenge to Indian democracy now.”

A poster that reads: “Suno Sarkar, Ab Ki Baar, Jhola Uthalo Yaar” (Listen, government, this time, pick up your bag and walk away). | Photo Credit: Amey Tirodkar

The CJP protest in Mumbai passed off smoothly largely because of the Mumbai Police’s calm and professional response. Permission to use Shivaji Park as the venue had been denied, citing multiple court orders. Nevertheless, the CJP pressed ahead with the protest at the same spot, and the police ensured it was uneventful. The Mumbai Police cordoned off the area after allowing protesters to reach the site. There was no lathicharge, no warnings other than about vehicle parking, and no frisking of the protesters at the protest site. Dipke himself lauded the Mumbai Police for their professional behaviour at the end of his speech.

October 2 was a national holiday and the first day of a long weekend. Many political observers believed Mumbaikars would therefore not turn up for the protest. Their assumptions were proved wrong when thousands of Mumbaikars reached the location, participated in the protest in the scorching heat, and left peacefully. Mumbai had sent a clear message to those in power, echoing one of the posters: “Suno Sarkar, Ab Ki Baar, Jhola Uthalo Yaar.” (Listen, government, this time, pick up your bag and walk away).

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