From AAP to CJP: Ajinkya Shinde’s political journey has brought him into the spotlight as the party continues its agitation in Delhi. (Img: X)
New Delhi: Ajinkya Shinde, the national organisation in-charge of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), on Saturday emerged as the public face of the group’s protest in Delhi after its founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other senior members were detained by the Delhi Police ahead of a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Shinde was named to lead the agitation after Dipke, anticipating possible detention, released a pre-recorded video announcing that Shinde would take charge of the movement in the absence of the party’s senior leadership. The development has brought the Maharashtra-based organiser into the spotlight as the CJP seeks to sustain its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Shinde, 35, hails from Maharashtra and holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University at Lonere in Raigad district. He was appointed the CJP’s national organisation in-charge when the group announced its organisational structure in August this year.
Before joining the CJP, Shinde worked with the Aam Aadmi Party’s Maharashtra unit as a social media coordinator. According to media reports, he first met Dipke in Goa in 2016 and subsequently left his corporate job to work full-time for the AAP.
He spent about a year campaigning for the party during the Goa Assembly election cycle before continuing his political work in Maharashtra. His organisational experience reportedly included travelling across districts in the state, giving him exposure to grassroots mobilisation and party-building activities.
The CJP announced its leadership team in August after concluding a 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar. The group appointed Shinde as national organisation in-charge as part of an effort to expand its activities beyond the immediate protest campaign.
The organisation’s leadership comprises people from varied professional backgrounds, including journalism, engineering, law, finance and public policy. It has described its structure as a means of strengthening its campaign nationally, while stating that it did not intend to convert itself into a conventional political party at that stage.
Shinde has also been associated with the CJP’s campaign seeking improvements in government schools, known as “School Thik Karo”, and reportedly helped organise the group’s recent mobilisation in Mumbai. His elevation during the Delhi protest has consequently placed him at the centre of the organisation’s operational response at a critical juncture.
On Saturday, Dipke, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das and co-convener Ashutosh Ranka were detained after arriving in Delhi from Mumbai ahead of the proposed demonstration. Dipke had recorded a video the previous night in anticipation of possible police action. After the detentions, the party circulated the video announcing that Shinde would lead the protest until the three leaders were released.
In a separate video, Shinde urged supporters to continue towards Jantar Mantar and to demonstrate peacefully at locations where they were stopped by the police. His message sought to maintain the momentum of the agitation despite the absence of the organisation’s founder and other senior members.
The protest was organised to demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over allegations concerning the SIR exercise and the deletion of names from electoral rolls. The Election Commission maintains that the revision process is intended to verify and update voter lists. The Delhi Police had denied permission for the proposed gathering, citing procedural grounds, and imposed restrictions amid concerns over law and order.
Shinde’s emergence as the protest’s principal organiser marks a significant test of his role within the CJP. With its senior leadership detained at the outset of the demonstration, the organisation’s ability to mobilise supporters and maintain coordination now rests, at least temporarily, with the man appointed to oversee its national organisation.
