‘Fake voters should not be allowed to vote,’ says Yogi Adityanath on burqa identification row

Danapur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday accused the Congress-RJD alliance in Bihar of creating “mischief” by objecting to the Election Commission’s directive on verifying the identity of women voters wearing burqas at polling stations.

The Election Commission recently announced that anganwadi workers would be stationed at polling booths to assist in identifying burqa-clad women voters. It also clarified that its guidelines for identity verification inside polling stations were clear and would be strictly implemented.

Speaking at a rally in Danapur, near Patna, in support of BJP candidate and former Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav, Yogi said the opposition was raising unnecessary controversy over the issue.

“Bihar under the NDA rule is looking forward to continuing its journey towards progress. At such a time, the Congress-RJD is indulging in mischief by raising a controversy over burqas,” he said.

“Should fake voters be allowed to vote? The Congress and RJD want this to happen. A reason why they are making a big fuss over burqas. They have also been opposed to electronic voting machines (EVMs) because they want to restore the old system of ballot papers, which facilitated booth capture by their henchmen,” he alleged.

Yogi, popularly known as “bulldozer baba” for his tough stance against criminals, accused the RJD of being hand in glove with the mafia and warned that under the NDA, they would “meet the same fate in Bihar” as in Uttar Pradesh.

He also highlighted the cultural and religious links between the two states, saying that after the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the government was working on revamping Sitamarhi, believed to be Goddess Sita’s birthplace, and improving connectivity between the two holy sites.

Taking a dig at the RJD, he said it was ironic that the party, founded by Lalu Prasad Yadav, who once followed Jayaprakash Narayan’s ideals, was now “sitting in the lap of Congress”.

Yogi further alleged that the Samajwadi Party, a key INDIA bloc member like the RJD and Congress, had also ignored JP’s legacy. “A hospital built at the birthplace of JP, named after him, had been in a state of disrepair until we came to power. Now it has been given a makeover,” he said.

The UP chief minister, on a day-long visit to Bihar, is also scheduled to address another rally in Saharsa later in the day.