Mumbai: In a strong appeal to India’s opposition parties, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said that participating in “rigged elections” amounts to legitimising such polls. “For opposit…

Mumbai: In a strong appeal to India’s opposition parties, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said that participating in “rigged elections” amounts to legitimising such polls. “For opposition: 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,” Dipke said in a post on X.“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. 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,” said Dipke.According to him, political parties “keep contesting because of the fear that if they don’t, they will stop existing.”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.In the same way, you will be handed a few wins, just enough to keep you contesting and to make people believe…— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) September 25, 2026

‘Vote chori, kanoon chori & sanstha chori’: Rahul says CEC Gyanesh Kumar should turn ‘approver’ amid EC row“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? This is not political survival. You are simply trying to stay alive in a system that can weaken you, split your party or take away your elected representatives whenever it wants. How long can you survive like this?,” said Dipke. He also said that parties and leaders cannot talk about election rigging only when it happens in states that matter to them and remain silent when it happens elsewhere. “If elections are being rigged, it should matter regardless of the state or which party is affected. 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. Think about the nation and its democracy before thinking about your own political survival. Take a stand and stop participating in rigged elections,” he said. 

Source: Deccan Herald