Abhijeet Dipke, Prakash Raj, to join CJP’s Kochi rally against electrol roll revision
Mangalore Today News Network
Kochi, Nov 7, 2026: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke, actor-activist Prakash Raj, and All India Students’ Federation (AISF) national president Viraj Devang will participate in the ‘Jantar Mantar @ Kochi’ rally being organised in the city on Saturday evening to ’defend democracy and voting rights’.
The programme, scheduled to begin at 4 pm with a procession from Marine Drive, is part of a nationwide mobilisation against what the organisers describe as growing threats to democratic rights and the electoral process.
According to the organising committee, several leaders associated with protests in New Delhi will join the Kochi gathering, which is expected to draw thousands of participants cutting across political, caste and religious affiliations.
The organisers said political parties, mass organisations, trade unions, cultural groups and student, youth and women’s organisations have extended support to the initiative.
Special emphasis is being placed on mobilising students, young people and women, besides running a social media campaign to spread awareness about the programme. Local organising committees have been formed in different parts of Kochi to coordinate participation.
The event will also feature cultural performances, including a musical presentation by Thrissur-based Karinthalakkootam, a short play by theatre group Nattak and folk songs.
The organising committee, which met on November 1 to finalise preparations, had appealed to all democratic-minded citizens to support the initiative.
Writer N S Madhavan is the chairman of the organising committee, while M G Gopakumar is the general convener.
The Kochi programme comes against the backdrop of CJP’s recent protests in New Delhi against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged disenfranchisement of voters.
The organisation, which has emerged as a youth-driven protest platform, has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of failing to protect voting rights.
CJP founder Dipke had called for a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10. However, Delhi Police denied permission, citing security concerns, and detained several protesters and leaders. The restrictions triggered a confrontation between the authorities and the organisers, who maintained that peaceful protest was a constitutional right.
The movement had earlier gained national attention through its agitation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including NEET, and demands for accountability in the education system. Its July protests at Jantar Mantar preceded the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The Kochi mobilisation marks an attempt to carry the campaign beyond the national capital and build broader public support for the protection of electoral rights, organisers said.