Cockroach Janta Party Protests 130 Million Voter Deletions

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement of Gen Z protesters, is challenging the Indian government over the Election Commission of India's reported deletion of approximately 130 million names from voter rolls. The CJP demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the restoration of previous electoral rolls, and an independent inquiry into the deletions.

Formed in May 2026 after the cancellation of medical school entrance exams and disparaging remarks by Chief Justice Surya Kant, the CJP has organized protests in Delhi, Mumbai, and other major cities. While the government asserts that the revisions merely remove noncitizens and duplicate entries, critics claim the process disproportionately targets migrant workers, Dalits, and poor Muslims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party have resisted the movement's demands, accusing the protesters of undermining democracy. The government has responded to the unrest with crackdowns, including the detention of CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.