'Burqa-clad voters' identification must during Bihar polls: BJP chief
What's the story
Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Dilip Jaiswal has sparked controversy by suggesting the Election Commission of India (ECI) verify burqa-clad voters during the upcoming Bihar elections. He made this demand during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. "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," Jaiswal said after the meeting.
Opposition response
RJD calls it political conspiracy
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the main opposition party in Bihar, has slammed Jaiswal's remarks. RJD MP Abhay Kushwaha called it a "political conspiracy." He said, "The Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls has just been carried out. New EPIC cards are to be issued to all voters with fresh photographs. Identification of voters is no big deal."
Official backing
Deputy CM backs demand, draws parallel with Hindu women
Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha backed Jaiswal's demand, drawing a parallel with Hindu women wearing veils. He said, "According to the Constitution, the law should be the same for all." Sinha added that women officers would check the faces of female voters and said any decision by the Election Commission would be final.
Election agreement
RJD, BJP on same page regarding election phases
Interestingly, both the BJP and RJD are on the same page when it comes to conducting the elections in one or two phases. They have urged the ECI not to stagger the election process. The RJD also suggested holding polls after the Chhath festival, which falls at the end of October this year.
Party consensus
Support from smaller parties for 2-phase elections
Smaller parties like Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and CPI(ML) Liberation also supported the demand for two-phase elections. The BJP suggested deploying paramilitary forces in villages with weaker sections to ensure voter safety. The RJD also demanded transparency from the ECI regarding electoral roll revisions and sought a list of sensitive booths to prevent voter intimidation.