Muslim Women Should Not Be Asked to Remove Burqa for Checking, Urges SP Ahead of UP Bypolls

Lucknow: Apart from Assembly Elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand , assembly bypolls are also being held in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab , Kerala and Uttarakhand. Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Bypolls 2024 on November 20, the SP State Chief has written a letter to the EC, urging that no police personnel should remove Muslim women's burqa for checking during voting.

‘Muslim Women Should Not Be Asked to Remove Burqa for Checking’: SP

A day before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2024, Samajwadi Party Uttar Pradesh Chief Shyam Lal Pal has written a letter to the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and urged that no police personnel should check the voter ID of any voter in the state by-polls scheduled on November 20.

In the letter, SP's Shyam Lal Pal sought that a written order be issued to the Returning Officer, Returning Officer/District Magistrate, General Observer, and Police officials that ‘no police personnel will check the voter ID of any voter’ on November 20 (the date of polling). The letter stated that the right to check voter IDs lies with the Polling Officer.

'Polling Officials During LS Polls Misused Their Powers'

The Samajwadi Party leader also alleged that during the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Police officials deployed at polling stations misused their power and position, and made SP supporters, especially Muslim women voters remove their veils, causing fear among the women. "Many of them left the polling stations without casting their votes. A significant number of SP supporters returned without exercising their voting rights, which affected the election and led to a decline in voter turnout at polling stations," he said.

UP Assembly Bypolls 2024: Constituencies and Key Details

Nine seats in Uttar Pradesh including Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Sishamau, Phulpur, Katehari and Majhawan in Uttar Pradesh will go to voting on November 20 with results set to be declared on November 23. 

(Inputs from ANI)