The August 2026 Mood of the Nation survey placed Dipke at 1.3% and Kejriwal at 1.2% when respondents were asked who was best suited to become the country’s next prime minister. The difference of just 0.1 percentage point is statistically narrow, but carries political significance because Dipke previously worked with the AAP before building his own youth-focused movement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained far ahead of other contenders with 48.7% support, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stood second at 27.1%. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay emerged in third place with 9.2%, placing him ahead of several established national and regional figures.
Dipke’s position is striking because the Cockroach Janta Party is not registered with the Election Commission as a political party and does not contest elections. It describes itself as a youth pressure group and uses satire, online campaigns and street mobilisation to raise issues including unemployment, examination irregularities, education and government accountability.
The survey was based on 25,184 interviews conducted between July 1 and August 25, while 91,795 additional interviews gathered through ongoing tracking over the previous six months were incorporated into the broader findings. The scale of the exercise gives Dipke’s appearance among preferred prime ministerial choices a wider political context, even though his individual share remains small.
Dipke worked with the AAP’s communications and campaign operations between 2020 and 2023, including during the party’s political activities in Delhi. He later pursued postgraduate studies in public relations at Boston University before becoming the public face of the Cockroach Janta Party movement.
The CJP gained national attention after beginning as a satirical response to remarks comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches. What started largely as an online protest campaign developed into a broader platform for younger citizens dissatisfied with unemployment, competitive examination problems and their perceived lack of representation in mainstream politics.
Its profile expanded sharply during demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination. Thousands of young protesters joined demonstrations in Delhi, while Dipke and other organisers pushed demands centred on accountability, action over examination leaks and protection for students involved in protests. The campaign gave CJP visibility beyond its original social media audience.
The organisation has nevertheless resisted converting its growing profile into a conventional electoral operation. A separate finding from the August survey showed that 43% of respondents would not vote for the CJP if it became a formal political party, illustrating the gap between support for a protest movement and willingness to back it at the ballot box.
Dipke’s overtaking of Kejriwal is particularly notable because his earlier political experience was acquired under the AAP ecosystem. Kejriwal, a former Delhi chief minister who built his own career through an anti-corruption movement before entering electoral politics, remains one of the better-known opposition politicians nationally. Dipke’s 1.3% therefore represents less an immediate electoral challenge than an indication of how quickly non-traditional political figures can acquire visibility.
CJP has sought to maintain that momentum through issue-based campaigns. Dipke this week issued an open letter seeking greater transparency over funding, infrastructure and staffing in government schools. The organisation has also announced a September 5 march in Delhi over what it says are unfulfilled commitments made after demonstrations in July, including demands relating to cases filed against protesters.
The group has simultaneously encountered controversy as its activism has moved from digital campaigning to on-the-ground interventions. Dipke has faced a police case in Maharashtra arising from allegations surrounding an unauthorised visit to a school, while CJP activists have also alleged attacks on volunteers during campaigns examining conditions at government schools.
