India’s youth-led “Cockroach” movement has warned of nationwide protests if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign within 48 hours.
The warning came a day after reports highlighted differences among senior officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The movement’s leaders said they would begin protests across the country if Kumar failed to step down within the given deadline.
A report in the Indian Express said two election commissioners had raised concerns or questioned decisions at least 14 times over a period of 10 months. Most of the disagreements reportedly involved the process of updating electoral rolls that began last year.
The Election Commission has said that differences of opinion are normal within institutions. It has also maintained that all decisions and actions taken by the poll body are lawful.
The latest development comes after months of youth-led protests in India. The movement, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), had previously staged demonstrations over issues including examination irregularities and alleged leaks of national exam papers.
The protests intensified after leaked examination papers forced a retest that affected around two million students. The issue sparked wider concerns among young people about education, employment opportunities and their future prospects.
The earlier demonstrations eventually led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The government also agreed to several demands put forward by the protesters, including reforms to the examination system, withdrawal of cases registered against demonstrators and compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the exam controversy.
The movement subsequently announced the withdrawal of its earlier agitation after reaching an agreement with the government. Thousands of young people celebrated at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, chanting slogans and taking part in street celebrations.
However, the latest dispute involving the election commission has brought the youth movement back into confrontation with the authorities. Its leaders are now demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner and have threatened fresh demonstrations if their demand is not met.
The political developments come ahead of key state elections scheduled in India next year. Youth-led protests have also played a major role in political upheavals in several South Asian countries in recent years.
