New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has handed over the responsibility of leading its protest in Delhi to Ajinkya Shinde after founder Abhijeet
Dipke and other senior leaders were detained ahead of the demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
Shinde, a close associate of Dipke from Maharashtra, will lead the party’s protest over alleged electoral irregularities until its detained leaders are released.
Dipke announced the decision in a video shared on the CJP’s social media handle. He said that he, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had been arrested and asked supporters to follow Shinde in their absence.
“If you are watching this video, it means that I, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka have been arrested. In our absence, Ajinkya will lead the protest and the CJP movement. Please follow him,” Dipke said.
Shinde, meanwhile, urged supporters to continue towards Jantar Mantar and demonstrate wherever they were stopped by the police.
“The government is scared of our unity. Please come to Jantar Mantar. If the police stop you, turn that very spot into Jantar Mantar,” he said.
Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained from the aircraft they had arrived on from Mumbai on Saturday morning, amid police efforts to prevent protesters from reaching the designated demonstration site.
Who is Ajinkya Shinde?
Ajinkya Shinde, 35, is a computer science graduate from Maharashtra who previously worked for an international IT company in Pune before joining the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a full-time worker.
According to media reports, his parents were farmers in Alibaug before the family settled in Latur. Shinde has worked in political organisation and social media roles and has been associated with Dipke for several years.
The two reportedly met in Goa in 2016 and subsequently worked together.
Before leaving his job, Shinde served as the AAP’s convener in Pimpri-Chinchwad. After resigning, he spent a year working on the party’s election campaign in Goa, although the effort did not result in the AAP winning a seat, according to reports.
He later joined the AAP’s Maharashtra team, serving as a social media coordinator and convener of its youth wing in the state.
Shinde’s rise in the Cockroach Janta Party
In August, Dipke brought Shinde into the CJP’s national team and assigned him the role of national organisation in-charge.
However, his entry into the party’s national executive committee reportedly drew criticism. Two CJP volunteers from Gujarat accused Dipke of favouring people close to him in the party.
Within the CJP’s leadership structure, Shinde is positioned below Dipke, Ranka and Das. The three senior leaders had emerged as prominent faces during the party’s paper leak protests in July.
His appointment to lead the movement following the detention of the top leadership highlights his position within the organisation.
With Dipke, Das and Ranka detained, Shinde is now expected to coordinate the CJP’s protest and direct supporters as the party continues its demonstration over alleged electoral irregularities.
