India’s newest political movement started with an insult - and led to people proudly dressing up as cockroaches.

The spiny, long-legged, and often reviled cockroach has become an unlikely symbol of dissent among India’s Gen Z, in a sharp rebuke to the ruling establishment in the world’s largest democracy.

The viral Cockroach Janata Party has crossed 20 million Instagram followers in less than a week, overtaking the social media presence of major political parties while launching backup accounts after its X handle was disabled.

Across India’s political landscape from north to south and east to west, several regional outfits, once dominant in their respective states and frequently decisive in national coalitions, now stand decimated in elections,

Cockroach Janata Party’s X account was withheld in India on May 21, with founder Abhijeet Dipke confirming the update. Meanwhile, the group’s Instagram page has crossed 13 million followers.

India’s viral Cockroach Janta Party movement has now inspired several similar satirical political pages in Pakistan, with multiple social media accounts adopting the “cockroach” branding and meme-driven activism style.

By Krishna N. Das and Tora Agarwala NEW DELHI, May 7 (Reuters) - India's main opposition Congress party drew increasingly strong backing from Muslim voters while Hindus overwhelmingly voted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party,