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Viral ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ nears BJP’s Instagram dominance as follower count races past 8 million
Samira Vishwas | May 21, 2026 4:24 AM CST

The viral Instagram page “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP), which emerged only days ago as a satirical political movement, is now on the verge of overtaking the Bharatiya Janata Party’s official Instagram handle in follower count, highlighting the extraordinary pace at which the internet-driven campaign has grown.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Instagram handle @cockroachjantaparty had crossed more than 8.4 million followers with just over 50 posts, rapidly approaching the BJP’s official Instagram page @bjp4india, which currently has around 8.7 million followers.

What started as an online satire has now become one of the biggest social media phenomena in India this week. The page describes itself as “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth,” and has gained traction particularly among Gen Z users through meme-driven political commentary, viral reels and anti-establishment messaging.

Multiple media reports suggest the movement was triggered after controversial remarks allegedly comparing unemployed youth to “cockroaches” during a recent Supreme Court hearing. The controversy soon snowballed into a digital protest movement, with users adopting the cockroach symbol as a form of satire and resistance.

The movement has been linked to Abhijeet Dipke, a former AAP social media volunteer currently based in the United States, who is widely identified as the founder behind the initiative.

The page’s explosive rise has already helped it overtake several established political entities online. According to recent reports, the Cockroach Janta Party has already surpassed the Aam Aadmi Party’s Instagram following and is now within touching distance of the BJP’s numbers.

The account’s rapid growth has also sparked broader discussions around digital political engagement, satire-led activism and the growing influence of meme culture in shaping political discourse among younger audiences.

While the BJP remains one of the world’s most-followed political parties on Instagram, the sudden emergence of a satirical page nearing similar follower levels within days has become one of the most talked-about developments on Indian social media this week.

The moment the Cockroach Janta Party crosses or matches BJP’s follower count, it is likely to trigger another major wave of online reactions and political commentary.


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