Prakash Raj, Dhruv Rathee Join CJP In Bengaluru As Opposition Keeps Up SIR Fight In Delhi On Day 3

The fight over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls widened on Thursday as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) held a high-profile protest in Bengaluru, bringing actor-activist Prakash Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee together on a platform demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and withdrawal of SIR.

At Bengaluru's Freedom Park, the CJP organised a "People's Tribunal", where people from different parts of Karnataka who claimed to have been affected by voter-roll revisions were invited to share their experiences. More than 2,000 people, including students, women and civil-society activists, were reported to have gathered. Protesters carried placards such as "Error 404 - Name Not Found" and raised slogans against alleged voter deletions.

Prakash Raj and Dhruv Rathee emerged as the biggest faces of the Bengaluru mobilisation alongside CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convener Ashutosh Ranka. Prakash Raj called for the scrapping of SIR, while Rathee questioned what he described as a lack of transparency and accountability in the Election Commission. Rathee also said he had not come to the protest for "regime change". Their statements represent their own positions and allegations.

The tribunal was followed by a "Chappal Protest", which organisers said was held in solidarity with women. The CJP has also announced a larger October 10 mobilisation in Delhi, with student organisations joining its call.

In Delhi, meanwhile, the INDIA bloc's protest entered its third day. Opposition MPs, led by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, gathered for lunch before heading towards Rajghat to continue their demand for Kumar's resignation. Delhi Police imposed prohibitory orders around Rajghat amid heightened security.

The Delhi confrontation has also acquired a legal dimension, with police registering three FIRs against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, over allegations of assaulting and obstructing police personnel during Wednesday's protest.

The Opposition has now secured a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, with a 10-member delegation expected to present its concerns over the Election Commission and SIR. Mamata Banerjee, who arrived in Delhi, has also said she may join the CJP's October 10 protest, though her participation is not confirmed.

With the CJP-led Bengaluru mobilisation bringing prominent public figures into the campaign while the INDIA bloc continues its political confrontation in Delhi, the SIR dispute is rapidly developing into a wider movement involving opposition parties, youth groups, activists and civil-society voices. The Election Commission and BJP have rejected the allegations made against the poll process.