Hyderabad: Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), claimed on Thursday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks to obstruct Muslim women from voting and that the party has requested "proper verification" of women voters donning burqas.
In a post on X, Asaduddin Owaisi said, “The Delhi unit of the BJP has told the Election Commission that there should be a special checking of women in burqa. During the recent Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, their candidate publicly insulted and harassed Muslim women. In every election, the BJP finds some excuse or the other to harass and target Muslim women. The Election Commission has clear rules and regulations for women who do not observe purdah, whether they are in burqa or veil or mask, no one is allowed to vote without verification, so why did the BJP have to make such a special demand? Just target Muslim women, harass them and create obstacles in voting.”
Previously, on Wednesday, a delegation from the Delhi BJP met with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and requested that, with the assistance of female officials, all female voters wearing face masks or 'burqas' during the polls on May 25 be properly verified, ANI reported.
In the meantime, a complaint has been filed against Madhavi Latha, the BJP's candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, after a video of her visiting the polling station and inspecting Muslim women's voter ID cards went viral. Sections 171C, 186, 505(1)(c) of the IPC and Section 132 of the Representation of the People Act have all been filed.
On May 25, Delhi will see a single phase of voting for all seven Lok Sabha seats. The BJP and the INDIA alliance, which also includes the Congress and AAP, are engaged in a tight race. On June 4, the votes will be counted and the results announced.
In the nation's capital, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress are battling together for four seats and three seats, respectively. Chandni Chowk, East Delhi, New Delhi, North East Delhi, North West Delhi, South Delhi, and West Delhi are the seven parliamentary seats of Delhi.