Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Supports Protests Against Chief Election Commissioner

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has expressed support for civil society groups and youth organisations protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while omitting any mention of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has played a leading role in the demonstrations.

In a post on X, Kharge outlined three demands he termed non-negotiable: the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the cancellation of SIR, and the conduct of elections using ballot papers. He stated that Congress workers and INDIA alliance partners are demonstrating across the country over these issues, adding that the party stands with civil society members and youth organisations struggling on these fronts.

The omission reflects the Congress party’s unease with the CJP, a youth-led outfit that has gained traction among young Indians. While some INDIA bloc allies including the Trinamool Congress, CPI(M), and Shiv Sena (UBT) have supported the CJP, the Congress has refrained from granting it political legitimacy. The CJP has announced further sit-in demonstrations in Delhi starting October 10.

During recent protests involving the CJP, Left, and AAP workers, the Congress student wing, NSUI, remained absent, though the Indian Youth Congress staged city-wide protests that led to numerous detentions and arrests. A senior Congress leader stated that the NSUI addressed the issue independently while keeping its distance from CJP and AAP-led protests. Another party leader noted that isolation from CJP-led protests could impact the party’s frontal organisations, suggesting the Congress must either launch its own large-scale student protests or acknowledge the CJP’s role.

Congress secretary Pranav Jha said that what began as a campaign by Rahul Gandhi, the party, and its allies has transformed into a people’s movement demanding accountability and the CEC’s resignation. “Some may have chosen different days, places or platforms for protest, but everyone is united in this cause,” Jha said.

Meanwhile, CJP leaders have responded to the political dynamic. Ashutosh Ranka, co-convenor of the CJP, posted on X that a self-declared liberal ecosystem is active on Twitter while considering itself the sole protector of democracy. Another co-convenor, Saurav Das, stated that a certain political section views saving India and the constitution as exclusively its own responsibility.