Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj join CJP protest at Mumbai's Dadar seeking Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

Actor Shabana Azmi, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and singer-songwriter Vishal Dadlani were among the public figures seen at the Cockroach Janta Party's protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on October 2. The party demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged discrepancies and tampering in electoral rolls during the elections.

The protest, held on Gandhi Jayanti, also focussed on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, reinstatement of earlier voter lists and greater transparency in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner, including a role for civil society. The group had said the protest would begin in Mumbai and spread to other cities across India if Kumar did not resign.

Organisers said the gathering would go ahead despite Mumbai Police denying permission for it, citing rules related to public assemblies and traffic movement.

Azmi was seen at the protest venue and on stage as the gathering drew attention to the party's demands concerning electoral rolls and voting rights. Sharing a video from the protest site on October 2, she captioned it, translated from Hindi, "Salute to you, Mumbai!"

Ahead of the gathering, Azmi had urged people to join the protest at Shivaji Park at 4 pm on Gandhi Jayanti and 'protect your vote'. In a video shared on social media, she said, "Your vote is your voice. Your vote is your right. Your vote can shape the future of this country. But what happens when your vote doesn't count? What happens when your name suddenly disappears from the voter list, when your



vote can be excluded, altered, or manipulated?"

She added, "Today, the question is not about any party. The question is about your vote, my vote, all of our votes." Azmi also said permission had been sought several times for protests but was not granted. "We have asked for permission to protest so many times, but we did not get permission. But asking questions is our right. So come out of your homes, ask questions, raise your voice for your vote, for your democracy," she said.

Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj was also seen at the protest site. In a video, he was seen hugging a woman protester and then making his way to the protest site.

Visuals from the venue showed Dadlani making his way through a heavy crowd towards the stage, where he hugged party founder Abhijeet Dipke and greeted supporters. Other visuals from Shivaji Park showed him greeting and hugging supporters as he made his way towards the gathering.

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah had also shown support for the movement. He met Dipke at Mumbai's Azad Park, after which Dipke shared a video of their meeting on X with the caption, 'Am I dreaming or what?' Shah had also spoken in support of protesters during the group's July agitation and criticised the crackdown during the CJP's Chalo Sansad march.

In a video shared on Instagram, Shah said, 'I would like to say two things to you all. The first thing is that if an ignorant person leads this country, then his heart will want the whole country to become as ignorant, incomprehensible, and merciless as he is.'