Calling itself the E20 Janta Party, the outfit has modelled its campaign on the Cockroach Janta Party, the youth-led movement whose agitation over the NEET-UG paper leak culminated in Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The new group gained more than 25,000 followers on X within hours of emerging on Sunday, indicating how quickly single-issue digital campaigns can acquire political visibility.
The E20 Janta Party says it is not seeking cheaper petrol, subsidies or the withdrawal of ethanol-blended fuel. Its central demand is that motorists should be able to choose between E20, containing 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol, and unblended petrol sold at a comparable grade and through a sufficiently wide retail network.
The group has also called for clear labelling at dispensing pumps, publication of the costs and benefits of different blends, and independent studies examining fuel economy, emissions, engine performance and maintenance expenses. Its campaign seeks to turn complaints previously scattered across motoring forums and social media into a focused consumer-rights movement.
The demand has gained support from the Delhi Taxi and Tourist Transporters and Tour Operators Association, which plans to march towards Parliament on August 4. The association says taxi operators and other commercial vehicle owners have experienced lower mileage, higher running costs and concerns about the effect of E20 on older engines. It has sought an independent technical review involving motorists, transporters, manufacturers and specialists.
Gadkari has defended ethanol blending as essential for cutting crude-oil imports, reducing emissions and transferring a larger share of energy spending to the rural economy. He has said motorists unwilling to use E20 can purchase 100 per cent petrol, although they would have to pay more.
That option, however, is largely confined to premium 100-octane petrol available at selected outlets. It costs about ₹169 a litre, compared with ₹102.12 for standard E20 petrol in Delhi, making it impractical for most motorists and commercial operators. Campaigners argue that a premium performance fuel sold at a steep markup cannot be presented as a meaningful alternative to ordinary unblended petrol.
Petroleum policy, fuel composition and retail availability fall primarily under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, but Gadkari has become the campaign’s principal political target because he has been one of the administration’s most prominent advocates of ethanol-based transport. His calls for flex-fuel vehicles and higher ethanol use have placed him at the centre of the public debate, even though his ministry does not control petrol stations or fuel prices.
The administration has rejected claims that E20 is causing widespread mechanical damage. More than 20 crore two-wheelers and three crore petrol cars are operating on higher ethanol blends without verified evidence of large-scale engine failures, abnormal corrosion or shortened component life. Manufacturer service records covering 2.84 crore vehicles, including about 1.5 crore older vehicles not originally certified for E20, showed no identifiable pattern of ethanol-linked damage.
Authorities acknowledge that some vehicles may suffer a three to five per cent decline in fuel economy because ethanol contains less energy by volume than petrol. The scale of the loss varies according to engine design, vehicle age, maintenance, driving conditions and whether the engine has been calibrated for E20.
Petrol vehicles produced from April 2023 were required to be materially compatible with E20, while models manufactured from April 2025 have engines tuned for the blend. Owners of older vehicles remain the most uneasy because many models were designed around E10 petrol, even though testing and field data have not demonstrated widespread durability problems.
Ethanol blending rose from less than 1.5 per cent in 2013-14 to 20 per cent in 2025-26. The programme has saved more than ₹1.97 lakh crore in foreign exchange, substituted nearly 316 lakh tonnes of crude oil and channelled over ₹1.66 lakh crore to farmers. It has also reduced carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 952 lakh tonnes. No decision has been taken to raise the mandatory blend beyond 20 per cent.
(IPA Service)
