New Delhi, October 7: Student organisations AISA and SFI, along with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), came together at the Press Club of India on Wednesday in a joint campaign demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and action over what they alleged were irregularities in the electoral process.
The press conference, titled “United Struggle Against Vote Chori”, brought together representatives of organisations that acknowledged their ideological differences but said they were united around their opposition to the Election Commission’s functioning and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The speakers said the campaign would continue beyond the day’s press conference, with a larger mobilisation planned at Jantar Mantar from October 10.
‘It is time for all of us to be together’
AISA president Neha Bora emphasised that the organisations did not need to share the same political ideology to participate in a common struggle.
“Irrespective of the fact that we might stand differently politically, it is time for all of us to be together,” Bora said.
She also spoke about journalists covering the protests, raising concerns over the alleged sexual harassment of journalists during recent demonstrations. Her remarks came amid continuing tensions between protesters, journalists and the police during demonstrations against the Election Commission in Delhi.
The organisations said they were on the same page regarding their immediate demands and intended to continue working together despite their wider political differences.
The coming together assumes significance as protests against Gyanesh Kumar have widened over the past week. Hundreds of protesters were detained during demonstrations in Delhi on October 2 and 3, including AISA president Neha Bora.
CJP calls for criminal proceedings against Gyanesh Kumar
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das took a stronger position, arguing that resignation alone would not be sufficient.
Das demanded criminal proceedings against Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Chief Election Commissioner had misled the electorate and was involved in what he described as “anti-national activities”. He said the campaign would continue until Kumar was held accountable and sent “behind bars”.
The demand for criminal proceedings is also part of the CJP’s wider campaign. The organisation had previously called for Kumar’s resignation alongside criminal proceedings, a freeze on SIR, restoration of the January 2025 electoral rolls and an independent inquiry into the SIR process.
Demand to scrap SIR and revisit elections
Viraj Devang, president of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), called for the electoral process to be revisited in areas where SIR has been implemented.
The speakers demanded that SIR be scrapped and called for the elections conducted in states where the exercise had taken place to be revisited, with re-elections demanded where necessary.
The dispute over SIR has become the central issue in the wider campaign against the Election Commission. The controversy intensified following reporting on disagreements within the three-member Election Commission, including objections recorded by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on several decisions and orders concerning electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken collectively.
‘A long fight’ ahead
The speakers also warned that the campaign would not be a short-term protest.
They said the mobilisation would be bigger than recent protests and appealed to people across India to come to Delhi and prepare for a prolonged struggle.
The call comes as different groups have announced demonstrations against Kumar and the Election Commission across the country. SFI and DYFI have separately announced nationwide protests on October 9 followed by a march to Jantar Mantar on October 10.
CJP has also announced a fresh Jantar Mantar mobilisation beginning October 10, with Saurav Das saying on Wednesday that he would formally notify Delhi Police about the proposed protest.
The campaign has increasingly brought together student organisations, youth groups, civil-society activists and political formations that do not necessarily share the same ideology.
For the organisations at Wednesday’s press conference, however, the immediate position was clear: Gyanesh Kumar must resign, SIR must be scrapped and the electoral process must be subjected to greater scrutiny.
With October 10 now emerging as the next major mobilisation point, the organisations have made clear that their “united struggle” is intended to continue.
