He also urged the Commission to put in place a mechanism to ensure that the faces of women coming to booths in burqas were identified with their voter cards.
File Photo
A row erupted after Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal on Saturday requested the Election Commission of India to establish a mechanism to tally the faces of burqa-clad women with their voter ID cards to ensure only genuine voters cast their ballots.
“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 meeting the EC team.
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Jaiswal also urged adequate placement of paramilitary forces in areas vulnerable to booth capture and voter intimidation.
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“We have also requested that paramilitary forces be deployed in villages with a significant population of weaker sections, such as extremely backward classes, a few days in advance, and that a flag march be conducted to instil confidence among voters,” he added.
The ECI delegation, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, arrived in Patna on Saturday to review poll preparedness for the forthcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
The visit aimed to ensure a smooth and transparent electoral process in the state. During their two-day schedule, starting October 4, the team would meet with representatives of political parties, top police and administrative officials, as well as state poll officials, to assess election readiness.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in Bihar has concluded, with the final electoral roll published on September 30, featuring nearly 7.42 crore electors. However, opposition parties have criticized the SIR, claiming it may disenfranchise crores of genuine citizens.
A total of 425 general, police, and expenditure observers have been deployed for the Bihar Assembly polls and seven assembly bypolls. These observers will ensure strict compliance with election laws and guidelines, providing direct field inputs and remaining accessible to political parties, candidates, and voters.
The EC has assured that it will not leave any eligible citizen out of the voters’ list, while ensuring that no ineligible person is included.
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