BJP Urges EC To Hold Bihar Polls In One Or Two phases, Seeks ID Checks For Burqa-Clad Women Voters

Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal on Saturday requested the Election Commission to conduct the upcoming assembly polls in one or two phases and tally the faces of women turning up in burqas with their voter cards. He also urged the EC to deploy adequate paramilitary forces in areas that were vulnerable to booth capture and intimidation of voters, PTI reported. 

"We have urged the EC to conduct the elections in one or two phases. The election process need not be staggered. Also, tallying of faces of voters, especially burqa-clad women, must be ensured with respective EPIC cards so that only genuine voters get to exercise their franchise," he told reporters after the meeting.

The Supreme Court had, in 2010, said that burqa-clad women cannot be issued voter identity cards, rejecting the argument that religion prohibits them from lifting their veils. The petitioners had said "It will hurt their religious sentiments and the Election Commission must not insist on `purdah-nashin' women to be photographed for inclusion of their name in the electoral rolls.”

The court, however, noted that “If you have such strong religious sentiments, and do not want to be seen by members of the public, then do not go to vote. You cannot go with a burqa to vote. It will create complications in identification of voters."

Jaiswal also asserted that "We have also requested that paramilitary forces be deployed in villages with a heavy population of weaker sections like extremely backward classes, a few days in advance and a flag march-like exercise be conducted to instill confidence among the voters.”

"As regards dates, we told the EC that, as per rules, polls can be held after a gap of at least 28 days from the date of announcement. If, for example, elections are announced in a few days from now, then the polls can be held by November 3-4," he added. 

With PTI inputs