On October 12, thousands of people, including MPs and MLAs from various Opposition parties, joined Rahul Gandhi-led march towards the Supreme Court. However, the absence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) stood out, despite both raising concerns over alleged electoral irregularities and demanding accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
While AAP said it was pursuing its campaign independently, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke was unable to attend the march because of his grandmother’s funeral, according to media reports.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had earlier explained the party’s decision to stay away from the Congress-led protests, saying it was fighting the issue in its own way.
“The CJP’s protest is also being held, and different organisations are also holding protests. The Left is also protesting in different places,” Singh had said.
“As far as tomorrow’s protest is concerned, it is the INDIA bloc’s protest. So, the Aam Aadmi Party is not part of it. We are fighting this battle in our own way,” he said.
Singh also said the party viewed the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a people’s movement rather than a campaign that should be limited to a particular political party.
AAP has separately clarified that it is no longer part of the INDIA bloc, although it has supported demands for action against Kumar. The party’s absence from Monday’s march therefore came amid its stated preference for pursuing the issue independently.
CJP, meanwhile, had organised its own protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10. Its founder, Dipke, along with colleagues Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, was detained upon arrival at Delhi airport ahead of the demonstration. They were subsequently released.
Dipke did not join Monday’s INDIA bloc march because his grandmother had died and her funeral was scheduled for the same day. According to media reports, Rahul Gandhi had personally called and invited him to participate.
“There is nothing that would make me happier than standing shoulder to shoulder with my fellow citizens in this protest today. But today was my grandmother’s funeral, so I could not be physically present there,” Dipke said, according to a report by Amar Ujala.
Dipke also expressed support for the broader protest movement, arguing that the focus should remain on the common cause rather than on which organisation was leading a demonstration.
However, his colleagues Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das largely remained silent on the protests that brought parts of central Delhi to a standstill.
The INDIA bloc march, led by Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders, sought action against Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise, which the Opposition says could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that electoral roll revisions are part of the process of ensuring accurate voter lists.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the march, Gandhi said the different protests should be seen as part of a common movement. “All the protests are one protest,” he said, referring to the demand for Kumar’s removal.
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