India's Cockroach Janta Party, student groups to protest, demand poll chief's resignation

The protesters' main allegation is that the commission manipulated voter rolls in ways that favour Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The commission and the government have denied the allegations. Read:India's Gen Z cockroach party resists lure of election after rattling Modi.

Pressure on Election Commissioner. Gyanesh Kumarintensified last month after the. Indian Expressnewspaper reported the election chief's two deputies had formally raised concerns at least 14 times over the past 10 months over voter-list revisions, registration procedures and the commission's digital systems.

The Election Commission has said differing views are a normal part of internal deliberations and that all its actions were lawful.

"We have been asking and demanding for a change but nothing of that is going to happen, if our only tool that is left to change anything in our society 'the right to vote' is taken away from us," Saurav Das, CJP's convenor,. "We will only end the protest after Gyanesh Kumar resigns.

"Read More:'The fear killed her': How an exam scandal in India sparked a student uprising. The controversy centres on a nationwide voter-verification exercise launched last year that critics say has led to millions of eligible voters being removed from electoral rolls.

The commission says the exercise is intended to remove duplicate, deceased or ineligible voters and ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls. Opposition parties led by the Congress party are also set to begin protests demanding Kumar's resignation on October 6.

The CJP, a youth movement that emerged earlier this year from onlinefrustration over unemploymentand leaked examination papers, has become an unexpected political force. Led by Abhijeet Dipke, the party gained national prominence after spearheading mass protests overexam-paper leaksthat led to theresignation of India's education minister, one of Modi's most significant political setbacks in recent years.