Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday renewed his demand for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation after former Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson alleged that Kumar had offered him a BJP ticket for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
According to a report by Onmanorama, Thomson claimed that Kumar asked him in 2016, while they were travelling on the same flight, whether he was interested in contesting the 2019 general elections as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta.
“We were together on a flight. He was waxing eloquent about Prime Minister Modi and openly asked me if I was interested in contesting as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta in the 2019 general elections. He was very persuasive; I declined it promptly,” Thomson was quoted as saying. He retired as Kerala chief secretary in 2016.
‘Gyanu Must Go’: Abhijeet Dipke
Sharing the report on Instagram, Dipke wrote, “Gyanu must go.” In a post on X, he also took a dig at Kumar, writing, “Ye karwayenge free and fair elections” (He will ensure free and fair elections).
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also cited the report to target Kumar, accusing him of “match-fixing elections”.
“First, Gyanesh Kumar – then a serving IAS officer – was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India’s elections,” Gandhi wrote on X.
ECI Says SIR Decisions Were Unanimous
CEC Kumar has been at the centre of a controversy surrounding the Election Commission following an investigative report by The Indian Express alleging differences between the three election commissioners.
The Election Commission on Saturday reiterated that key decisions, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, were taken unanimously by the full commission.
The poll body said differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and maintained that its orders have full legal sanction and follow statutory procedures.
CJP Plans Nationwide Protest From October 2
Earlier on Friday, Dipke said the CJP would launch a nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2 if Kumar did not resign. The group said the protest would then be taken to cities across India and warned of a wider agitation, including what it called “Jantar Mantar 2.0”.
Under its “Election Commission Thik Karo” campaign, the CJP said it would focus on the exclusion of more than 13 crore names from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories during the SIR exercise.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray backed the protest call, saying, “If Gyanesh doesn’t go, Mumbai will step out against Vote Chori from 2nd October, in huge numbers!”
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