New Delhi : Last Monday, when Rahul Gandhi was marching to the Supreme Court against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a notable face was spotted alongside him. Neha Bora, President of the ‘All India Students Association’ (AISA), was marching with him. She has also been a prominent figure in the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’s’ protests held in July. Rahul Gandhi positioned Neha Bora right at the forefront, alongside Priyanka Gandhi. This imagery has sparked various speculations in political circles; it is being suggested that Rahul Gandhi has successfully drawn away a key, strong face from the Cockroach Janata Party’s movement.

During the protest, Rahul Gandhi was seen placing his hand on the shoulders of 29-year-old Neha Bora and his sister, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on several occasions. While senior Congress leaders walked behind Rahul Gandhi, these two women walked right beside him. The prominence Rahul Gandhi accorded to Neha Bora suggests he was attempting to send a strong message to the Cockroach Janata Party. In fact, the recent support the Cockroach Janata Party garnered from Gen Z was evidently a source of concern for the Congress party; notably, no Congress leader had ever openly supported the Cockroach Janata Party’s movement.

Given this context, the Congress party has likely become wary of the situation. The memory of the Aam Aadmi Party’s movement in 2012—and how it wiped the Congress party out of Delhi—is likely on the party’s mind. It is clear, therefore, that Rahul Gandhi would not want to encourage such movements. They could potentially sow discord among the members or supporters of the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’. However, it is difficult to say right now what the Congress party’s covert strategy might be.

Neha Bora is the National President of the left-wing student organization All India Students Association (AISA) and has emerged as a prominent face of India’s ‘Gen-Z’ student movements. She was recently seen playing a powerful role in the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’s’ movement.

She shot to national prominence after undertaking a 23-day hunger strike during the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against alleged irregularities and paper leaks in the NEET examination in June 2026.

Ink was thrown at her face during a protest in Ranchi against alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations. Following this, her statement—asserting that throwing ink would not suppress the anger of students and the youth—garnered significant attention.

Most recently, in October 2026, she was detained by the Delhi Police for being at the forefront of protests at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and for attempting to climb police barricades.

In fact, the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ is working to expand its support base under a new strategy. To achieve this, it is primarily leveraging social media and reaching out to well-known activists to garner support. Additionally, it is seeking backing from political parties and enlisting help from youth student organizations. Meanwhile, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Saurav Das are keeping themselves active in national politics by frequently holding press conferences.

Report : Abhijit Tushar Bhatt (Political Editor)