Haryana lawyer moves EC to register Cockroach Janta Party in his name, independent of US-based founder

A lawyer from Panipat in Haryana has approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking registration of the online satirical group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in his own name, separate from its US-based founder Abhijeet Dipke, Hindustan Times reported, citing people aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Sudhir Jakhar, who identifies himself as the national convener of the group, has submitted an application to the ECI secretary under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act. The submission includes the party’s cockroach logo and lists Jakhar in his professional capacity as a lawyer. If approved, the registration would allow the group to operate as a formal political entity and potentially secure its online identity under an official status.

The CJP was formed earlier this month following controversy over remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on unemployed youth. “There are youngsters, like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in the profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists, and other activists, and they start attacking everyone.”

Following its launch, the movement quickly gained traction online. Its X account was withheld in India within days, while its Instagram presence reportedly expanded rapidly, even surpassing the BJP in follower count at one stage.

Jakhar said efforts were made to involve Dipke, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Boston University, to formalise the organisation in India. However, Dipke declined to return.

“Dipke declined to come to India and convert this movement into an actual ground-level political party. Seeing the anger among the youth and the scale of what has been built, we felt that if someone else registered the name first and misused it, the entire movement would be lost. We decided to move ahead ourselves to ensure that does not happen,” he said.

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Party’s agenda differs from founder’s stated goals

In its submission, the proposed party has outlined a wide range of objectives, including promotion of constitutional fundamental duties under Article 51A, democratic participation, environmental protection, animal welfare, legal awareness, whistle-blower protection, transparency in governance, communal harmony, and peaceful democratic reform.

These stated objectives differ significantly from the original CJP agenda, which included demands such as denial of Rajya Sabha seats to retired Chief Justices, prosecution under anti-terror laws for vote deletions, 50% reservation for women in Parliament and the Cabinet, cancellation of media licences of major industrialists, and a 20-year ban on political defectors.

If approved, CJP would be registered as a Registered Unrecognised Political Party, a category that has earlier included parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party in its early phase and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam before its rise in Tamil Nadu.

However, the proposed cockroach symbol is unlikely to be accepted, as the Election Commission maintains a fixed list of 164 symbols and does not permit insects.