Amid the escalating controversy over voter lists, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and threatened a nationwide agitation, including ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’, if he failed to step down within 48 hours.It also sought an independent inquiry into the manner in which electoral-roll decisions are processed through the Election Commission’s centralised technology platform.Addressing a press conference here, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka alleged that the centralisation of electoral-roll functions had created a system in which a voter may be found eligible by a constituency-level Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), but still remain excluded from the final electoral roll because the decision cannot be recorded through the software.The allegations come amid reports that two Election Commissioners had raised concerns about the centralisation of voter-database access and the functioning of ECINet, the software platform used in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.Citing reports from Goa, the party claimed that 97 voters remained excluded from the final electoral roll despite decisions by EROs in their favour. According to the reports referenced by the party, the facility to record their inclusion was controlled centrally from Delhi. “The issue is no longer just deletion; it is who can reverse it,” CJP leaders said.Das alleged that powers traditionally exercised by EROs were being effectively constrained by the centralised system and questioned the role of the Election Commission’s IT division in determining whether decisions taken at the constituency level could be implemented.The Election Commission’s voter-service infrastructure states that electoral-roll registration, correction and updating are administered through its digital systems. Its official portal also says that the Chief Electoral Officer is responsible for the preparation, revision and correction of electoral rolls within a state.Ranka argued that exclusion from the electoral roll could have consequences beyond voting, alleging that welfare benefits in some states were linked to voter status. He presented the claim as part of the party’s broader argument that electoral-roll verification requires greater transparency.The CJP also alleged that more than 13 crore names had been removed during the wider SIR exercise. The figure, however, requires context: it refers to deletions reflected in draft electoral rolls and does not, by itself, establish that all those voters were wrongly removed.Separately, in proceedings before the Supreme Court concerning West Bengal’s electoral rolls, the EC stated that 27.16 lakh voters had been removed and that more than 22 lakh appeals seeking reinstatement had been filed.The party demanded Kumar’s resignation, criminal proceedings against those responsible for the disputed decisions and disclosure of the authorities that authorised them. It also called for an immediate suspension of the SIR process and upcoming elections, restoration of the January 2025 electoral roll and an independent inquiry into decision-making under the revision exercise.In addition, the CJP sought the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners and its replacement with a new framework involving civil society participation.The party also urged political parties not to contest elections while simultaneously alleging that the electoral process was being manipulated.The controversy comes as Delhi’s own SIR exercise remains under close scrutiny. More than 47 lakh names were excluded from the draft electoral roll, while the Supreme Court has questioned whether notices issued to voters appeared “mechanical”.