Mumbai: Veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi joined the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday, backing the Abhijeet Dipke-led agitation seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Ahead of the protest, Naseeruddin met CJP founder Dipke, who later shared a video of their meeting on Instagram and X.
The clip shows the veteran actor greeting Dipke with a handshake and hug while thanking him.
During their interaction, Dipke told Shah, “I am a huge fan, sir. I had no idea you were here.” Shah replied, “I know you were here. I am a huge fan of yours.”
Meanwhile, Shabana Azmi backed the CJP’s call for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation while voicing concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and underscoring the importance of the right to vote.
The actor, who had earlier joined a students’ protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, urged people to use democratic means to raise their concerns if their names are removed from electoral rolls.
Speaking at Shivaji Park, the veteran actress said, “A very, very warm greeting to all of you. Since I am from Mumbai, seeing all of you present here in such large numbers brings me immense happiness.”
“Our vote is our right, it is our voice, we have been hearing this since childhood. But when our right is snatched away from us, when our names are removed from the electoral rolls, what will we do? We will protest. This is our right. Today, look around and see how far your eyes can reach, this is the victory of democracy. Because we have recognised our own strength, and we have realised that we do not have to tolerate anything wrong, because this is our country, our Constitution has given us this right. So, many congratulations to all of you,” she added.
Azmi had earlier urged Mumbaikars to step out and join the protest on October 2.
Sharing a video on social media, the veteran actor questioned what happens when a person’s name suddenly disappears from the voter list.
Her post was captioned, “Your vote is your right. Your vote is your voice. But what happens when your vote disappears from the voter’s list? Join the protest for your democratic right. On 2nd Oct, Gandhi Jayanti. Shivaji Park, 4 pm. I will see you there.”
In the video, the actress said, “Your vote is your voice. Your vote is your right. Your vote can shape the future of this country. But what happens when your vote doesn’t count? What happens when your name suddenly disappears from the voter list, when your vote can be excluded, altered, or manipulated?”
“We have asked for permission to protest so many times, but we did not get permission. But asking questions is our right. So come out of your homes, ask questions, raise your voice for your vote, for your democracy,” she added.