Shabana Azmi, Vishal Bhardwaj join CJP protest against electoral roll tampering

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.Shabana Azmi says 'Mumbai tujhe salaam'

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. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Buzzzooka Scrolls (@buzzzookascrolls)

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.

The protest had been announced earlier by Dipke on social media, where he appealed to supporters to mark Gandhi Jayanti by 'saving democracy'. Security was also stepped up at Dadar station ahead of 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.'

The 76-year-old actor had also said that although he completed acting courses at the National School of Drama and the Film and Television Institute of India, most of what he learnt about acting came from the students he had tried to teach, and that he had immense sympathy for them. He urged people to think about the future and the struggles faced by young protesters.

Shah's statement had come amid tensions at Delhi's Jantar Mantar after activist Sonam Wangchuk was removed from the protest site in the early hours of July 18. Delhi Police shifted Wangchuk to a hospital after he completed 21 days of an indefinite hunger strike, citing his deteriorating health, medical advice and compliance with a Delhi High Court order. Shabana Azmi also actively participated in that protest.advertisementWhat the CJP is demandingThe wider agitation centres on the Special Intensive Revision exercise and electoral rolls. The CJP has called for the 2025 electoral roll to be frozen and alleged that large-scale deletions from voter lists have left around 13 crore voters disenfranchised without the required documentation and verification process.

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc has launched its 'Save Democracy Week', with district-level demonstrations against the Election Commission. The NDA, however, has questioned the motive behind the protests and alleged that the campaign is aimed at defending bogus voters.- EndsALSO READ | Kangana Ranaut calls Naseeruddin Shah 'lomdi' over his silence on Jharkhand protest