'Those Coming To Vote In Burqa...': RLD Candidate's BIG Claim On Proxy Voting In UP Bypolls

Uttar Pradesh bypolls: The RLD and BJP have alleged irregularities during polling and demanded that burqa-clad voters be thoroughly checked.

File photo of women in burqa casting their votes.

Source : PTI

The Rashtriya Lok Dal has levelled serious allegations of irregularities in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls. The RLD is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the NDA. The party's candidate Mithlesh Pal has alleged that people are being brought from outside the Meerapur Assembly constituency to vote. Pal further claimed that proxy voters had been nabbed with weapons at madrassas and mosques. She also demanded that people arriving to vote in burqas be thoroughly checked.

NDA's 'Burqa' Allegation

Mithlesh Pal alleged that the bogus voters were arriving at the polling booths in burqas. She demanded that people in burqas must be checked to prevent proxy voting. "I got a call from Khiri Firozabad. I was informed that police have received a tip of people arriving from outside the Meerapur constituency to vote," she said.

The BJP, too, said that there was a possibility of burqa-clad voters casting proxy votes. The BJP has written to the Election Commission, alleging that if veiled women are allowed to vote without checking, vote fraud is possible. In the letter, it said the identity of all burqa-clad voters and others should be verified by a woman official. "It has been seen in the previous elections that due to not ensuring the identification of veiled women, there have been attempts to cast votes multiple times. Even some men try to cast fake votes in place of women by wearing burqa," the letter read.

SP Alleges Intimidation

On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party has accused the police and polling officials of intimidating voters at various polling booths in different assembly constituencies.

Claiming that people were stopped from voting, the SP accused the UP Chief Election Officer of favouring the BJP. "The Election Commission is doing fraud. Does anyone still have any doubt over the fairness of the elections? This dishonesty will fail one day," it posted on X.

चुनाव आयोग @ECISVEEP @ceoup धृतराष्ट्र नहीं बल्कि बेईमान है ,चुनावी युद्ध में कौरवों की तरफ यानी भाजपा की पक्षधरी कर रहा

भाजपा चुनाव आयोग से बेईमानी करवा रही और चुनाव आयोग बेईमानी कर रहा ,अब भी किसी को कोई शक है क्या कि चुनाव निष्पक्ष होंगे ? ये बेईमानी साजिश नाकाम होगी एक दिन… pic.twitter.com/OVWIzPTRVo

— SamajwadiPartyMediaCell (@MediaCellSP) November 20, 2024