Dipke Urges Opposition to Quit 'Rigged' Polls, Warns Participation Gives Legitimacy

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday urged opposition parties to withdraw from elections they believe are being manipulated, arguing that contesting such polls lends them legitimacy and sustains the impression that they are free and fair.

In a post on X, Mr. Dipke said parties could not simultaneously allege that elections were being rigged and continue to take part in them. "Yes, elections are being rigged. But when you continue to participate in rigged elections, you legitimise these elections and help maintain the illusion that they are free and fair," he said.

He asked whether opposition parties kept contesting out of a fear that staying away would mean political extinction. "Maybe you keep contesting because you fear that if you don't, you will stop existing. But what kind of existence are you trying to protect when votes are being stolen, your MLAs and MPs are being poached, and your parties are being split?" he said.

Mr. Dipke described such an approach as survival within a system capable of weakening a party, splitting it or taking away its elected representatives at will, and questioned how long it could be sustained.

He also accused opposition parties of raising the issue of alleged rigging selectively, depending on the state or the party affected. "And you cannot talk about election rigging only when it happens in states that matter to you and remain silent when it happens elsewhere. If elections are being rigged, it should matter regardless of the state or which party is affected," he said.

"You cannot keep saying the game is rigged while continuing to play it. Your participation is the only thing that gives these rigged elections legitimacy," he claimed.

Appealing to opposition parties to place democracy above political interest, he said, "Think about the nation and its democracy before thinking about your own political survival. Take a stand and stop participating in rigged elections."

Drawing an analogy with a fixed cricket match, Mr. Dipke said an election could be made to appear competitive even if its outcome was allegedly manipulated. "Just like in a fixed match, not every catch is dropped. Some catches are taken, and the match may even be dragged to the last over to make it look like a close fight," he said.

"In the same way, you will be handed a few wins, just enough to keep you contesting and to make people believe there was a real contest. Those few wins are the crumbs that keep you in the game and make the whole thing look legitimate," he said.

The remarks followed his demand on Thursday for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with a threat to launch a "Jantar Mantar 2.0" agitation if the demand was not met.

They also came after a report on Wednesday that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders of the Election Commission, including on the addition, deletion and restoration of voters and changes to the voter registration process.

Following that report, poll panel officials said the two commissioners had flagged decisions taken during the poll roll cleanup and the handling of the voter database in various states. Election Commission sources maintained that all decisions of the panel, including the Special Intensive Revision, were unanimous and had the approval of both the election commissioners and the chief election commissioner.