CJP protest: Abhijit Dipke kickstarts from Shivaji Park

mangaloretoday.com

Mumbai, October 02, 2026: The demonstration is taking place at Gate No. 6 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park. Celebrities, including Shabana Azmi and Vishal Dadlani, are expected to join the demonstration.

The CJP earlier called on citizens to join the protest, which will mark the beginning of a series of demonstrations and public mobilisation planned across the country through October. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the campaign would eventually culminate in a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Why is CJP demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

CEC Gyanesh Kumar is at the centre of a controversy surrounding the Election Commission following an investigative report by The Indian Express that claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise.

Dipke claimed that around 13 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls since 2024. He linked the alleged deletions to the narrow vote-share gap between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He also argued that large-scale changes to voter lists could affect election results.

Rejecting the claims, the Election Commission on Saturday maintained that key decisions, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, were taken unanimously by the full commission.

’Gyanesh Kumar is a traitor’

Speaking at an interaction at the Mumbai Press Club, Dipke sought Kumar’s resignation and warned that the CJP would continue its protests across the country if he does not step down.

"Gyanesh Kumar is a traitor. We will not move from Jantar Mantar until he resigns from his post. Gyanesh Kumar should resign and should face criminal charges," Dipke said.

The CJP leader also questioned the Mumbai Police’s decision to deny permission for the protest. Dipke said that if Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis could hold a political rally at Shivaji Park, the CJP should also be allowed to stage a protest there.

"I am not afraid of going to jail. I will come back to protest again, again and again," the CJP leader said, reported PTI.

Protests across West Bengal, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Goa

CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde said the campaign would be taken to several other cities, including Goa, Bengaluru, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Patna and Ranchi.
"Protests will be held in Goa, Bengaluru, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Patna and Ranchi. If Kumar does not resign, then a protest will be held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi from October end," Shinde said.

The movement has also said it will remain independent and will not join the Opposition’s October 6 protest against the Election Commission.

Security stepped up at Dadar station

Meanwhile, railway authorities have stepped up security at Dadar station ahead of the proposed Shivaji Park protest.

Around 40 additional staff, including Railway Protection Force personnel, have been deployed at the station, a Central Railway spokesperson said. A Western Railway spokesperson said 50 additional staff and RPF personnel had been deputed.

Dadar is part of both the Western and Central Railway networks and is among Mumbai’s busiest railway stations. It is also the closest major station to Shivaji Park.

Mumbai Police has denied permission for the proposed protest, citing restrictions governing gatherings at Shivaji Park, the absence of the required civic permission and concerns over traffic and the movement of emergency vehicles.
ECI ‘dissent’ row

The CJP’s protest comes amid criticism of the Election Commission over the SIR of electoral rolls. The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders, some of which they said were issued without their knowledge.

The Election Commission has, however, said that the three-member poll panel took all decisions, including those concerning the SIR, unanimously.