The Five Demands, Explained for the Press

CJP’s manifesto runs on five demands. Reporters and editors covering the launch have asked, sensibly, what each demand actually proposes — because the satirical framing of the party has been mistaken, more than once, for satirical content. The content is not satirical. The party is.

Here is the press-brief version.

1. Cross-ownership limits and disclosure for news media

A Media Independence Act that publishes all shareholders above 1% in any registered news outlet, caps cross-ownership between news media and unrelated industrial conglomerates, and prohibits news licences held by political-party-linked entities. Precedents: UK, Germany, France.

2. Cooling-off for retired Chief Justices

A five-year ban on retired apex-court judges accepting nominated Rajya Sabha seats, gubernatorial posts or political party tickets. Precedents: UK conventions, Canadian Supreme Court Act provisions, similar Australian norms.

3. Fifty per cent women’s reservation, in 2029

An upgrade of the 2023 reservation amendment from 33% to 50%, with the operative date moved to the 2029 general election independent of delimitation. The first half of this is law in Rwanda; the second half is procedure.

4. Twenty-year ban for defectors

An amendment to the Tenth Schedule disqualifying any defecting legislator from contesting any election — central, state or local — for twenty years from the date of defection, regardless of the group-defection or merger clauses. The current loophole has visibly produced the last decade of state-government turnover.

5. Electoral-misconduct review for the ECI

A statutory mechanism placing voter-roll edits, polling-booth allocation and result certification under expedited judicial review on complaint. Companion demand: a statutory Youth Employment Audit Authority, on the CAG model, for employment statistics.

For press contact

Email press@cockrochjanataparty.org. We respond within 24 hours, on the record, with sources.