EC defends move to verify identity of burqa-clad women

Days after Samajwadi Party urged the Election Commission to withdraw its directive regarding verifying the identity of 'burqa' clad voters during the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, the poll body on Thursday defended its move saying that it is simply implementing a decision taken way back in 1994, when TN Seshan was heading the poll authority.

The Samajwadi Party on October 13 had submitted a memorandum to the EC, seeking withdrawal of it's decision to check burqa-clad women during voting in Bihar.

Samajwadi Party state president Shyam Lal Pal had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Uttar Pradesh, addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, stating that the new directive is contrary to the EC’s rules.

“The Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has issued a new directive contrary to the Election Commission of India’s rules, raising questions about the Commission’s impartiality and transparency. This new rule targets voters of a particular community in the country; it is undemocratic and unconstitutional. The Election Commission’s decision is wrong; the new directive targets a particular community,” the memorandum said.

An ECI spokesperson said that in October 1994, the poll body had ordered a dignified method of identifying burqa-clad women electors at polling stations.

"...to protect the sensitivity regarding privacy of women voters, separate enclosures for identification of 'purdahnasheen' women should be provided in the polling station with locally available but absolutely inexpensive devices and using local ingenuity, such as use of charpoys or cloth such as bed spreads," the October 21, 1994 order read.

In 1994, the EC had issued the order while expressing anguish over low turnout of women voters due to customs and traditions.

The EC has said that special arrangements are being made at polling stations in Bihar for "dignified" identification of women voters in burqa or purdah.

In a statement last week, the poll authority said that to encourage participation of 'purdanasheen' (in burqa or purdah) women, "special arrangements" will be made at the polling stations as per its instructions for their "dignified identification" in the presence of lady polling officers or attendants while ensuring their privacy.

Addressing a press conference here on October 6 to announce the schedule for Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said Anganwadi workers will be present at all polling booths in the state to help verify the identity of burqa-clad voters.

"Our Anganwadi workers will be deployed at all polling booths for verifying the identity of burqa-clad women. The guidelines of the commission are very clear about this -- that how identity is verified inside a polling station and they will be strictly followed," he had said.

The poll authority recently said up to 90,712 Anganwadi Sevikas will be deployed on poll duty.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lambasted the RJD-Congress combine in Bihar for opposing the Election Commission's order on the identification of women voters who turn up at polling booths in a burqa, claiming that the opposition parties are indulging in mischief by raising a controversy over the issue.

The commission had said anganwadi workers would be deployed at all polling booths for verifying the identity of burqa-clad women.

Yogi accused the Opposition of attempting to revive the era of “booth capturing and fake voting,” citing their opposition to both Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the latest voter ID verification measure as evidence of a regressive agenda.