CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Ajinkya Shinde (35), a computer engineering graduate from Dharashiv district, has emerged as the face of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar after Delhi Police detained the outfit’s founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka shortly after they landed in the national capital Saturday.The trio had travelled from Bengaluru, where they had staged a protest against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, before flying to the national capital. Soon after the detention, Dipke released a video message announcing that Shinde would lead the party’s protest in Delhi.According to sources, Shinde had reached Delhi three days earlier as part of a planned strategy, allowing him to avoid police scrutiny and remain available to spearhead the demonstration if required.Shinde moved into the hospitality sector after his graduation and is currently based in Alibag in Raigad district. People close to him said he shared a long political association with Dipke dating back to their time in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They hail from neighbouring districts in Marathwada and became close while working with AAP’s organisational network in Delhi. When Dipke launched CJP, Shinde joined him and steadily became part of its core team.Shinde’s social media profiles carry several posts backing AAP. In one post from 2024, he is identified as Maharashtra convener of the party’s youth wing. An associate said, “Shinde quit a job with an international IT firm to become a full-time AAP volunteer. In 2016, he spent nearly a year in Goa working on AAP’s assembly election campaign. He was also credited with helping organise AAP’s Kisan Sammelan in Maharashtra in 2017.”Originally from Mulaj village in Umarga taluka of Dharashiv district, Shinde lost his father, Pandurang, at a young age and subsequently moved to Latur with his mother, Tulja, and elder brother, Amar (MBBS graduate). He completed his schooling and college education in Latur before pursuing computer engineering in the Konkan region.Shinde also maintained close ties with Ujani village in Ausa taluka of Latur district, where his maternal uncle Narayan Lokhande, a former Congress-affiliated zilla parishad member, resides. Friends described cricket as Shinde’s favourite pastime and said his political activities remained concentrated in Latur, Ausa and Ujani, where he actively participated in public movements and election campaigns.Police records in Latur showed that a case was registered against Shinde in 2020 under provisions rela-ted to an alleged violation of prohibitory orders.