Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Dipke Calls on Opposition to Quit Allegedly Rigged Elections
Abhijeet Dipke says Opposition parties should stop entering elections if they believe the elections are unfair.
He compared this to playing a cricket match whose result has already been fixed.
He said a fixed match might still look real if some catches are missed and one team is allowed occasional wins.
Dipke believes taking part in such elections makes them seem free and fair.
He also questioned whether parties continue competing because they fear losing political importance.
The Cockroach Janta Party demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign within 48 hours.
Rahul Gandhi has separately made the same demand and repeated allegations of vote theft.
The Election Commission says disagreements and written objections can happen inside a multi-member body.
It maintains that decisions, including those concerning voter-roll revisions, were unanimous.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke urged Opposition parties to stop contesting elections they believe are rigged.
Dipke compared continued participation to playing a fixed cricket match that appears competitive because some chances and victories are allowed.
He argued that participating in allegedly manipulated elections gives them an appearance of legitimacy and protects parties’ political survival.
The CJP demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation within 48 hours, a freeze on the Special Intensive Revision, and a halt to upcoming elections.
The Election Commission rejected claims of an institutional split, while an Indian Express report described at least 14 objections by two commissioners over 10 months.
- Who
- Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Opposition parties, Rahul Gandhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and the Election Commission of India.
- What
- Dipke urged Opposition parties to stop contesting elections they believe are manipulated, amid allegations about electoral-roll management and internal Election Commission disagreements.
- When
- Dipke made the remarks on Friday, September 25; the CJP’s resignation demand was issued the previous day.
- Where
- Dipke posted his remarks on X, while the CJP held its press conference in New Delhi.
- Why
- Dipke argued that continued participation legitimizes allegedly unfair elections and may prioritize parties’ political survival over democratic concerns.
Critics Alleging Electoral Manipulation
Election Commission’s Position
Election legitimacy
Critics Alleging Electoral Manipulation
Dipke, Rahul Gandhi, and other critics allege electoral manipulation and argue that participating in disputed elections can make them appear legitimate.
Election Commission’s Position
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions that its functioning reflects an institutional split and has defended its decision-making process.
Internal disagreements
Critics Alleging Electoral Manipulation
The Indian Express reported that Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected repeatedly to decisions concerning voter additions, deletions, restorations, Form 6, and database access.
Election Commission’s Position
The commission says differing opinions, written observations, and internal checks are normal within a multi-member constitutional body.
Opposition participation
Critics Alleging Electoral Manipulation
Dipke says parties that believe elections are rigged should withdraw rather than continue participating for political survival.
Election Commission’s Position
The articles do not report a direct Election Commission response to Dipke’s withdrawal proposal; the commission instead maintains that relevant decisions were taken unanimously.
- Speaker
- Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party
- Central analogy
- Dipke compared allegedly rigged elections with a fixed cricket match.
- CJP demand
- The party demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation within 48 hours.
- Additional demands
- The CJP called for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to be frozen and upcoming elections to be halted.
- Rahul Gandhi’s position
- Rahul Gandhi separately called for Kumar’s resignation and repeated allegations of “vote-chori” or vote theft.
- Reported objections
- The Indian Express reported at least 14 formal objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over 10 months.
- Election Commission position
- The commission said differing views and written observations are normal internal checks and maintained that decisions, including those on the SIR, were unanimous.
