Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 | Female polling officers to identify ghoonghat, burqa-clad women voters

New Delhi: Taking a cue from the directions issued 21 years ago by then Chief Election Commissioner T N Seshan, the Election Commission has directed poll officials in Bihar to ensure that women polling officers are deployed in polling stations with large number of women voters to help in the identification of voters wearing ‘ghoonghat’ (veil) or burqa.

Citing the October 21, 1994 order, sources said, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar wants to ensure that “no sections of women for reasons of social or religious customs are prevented from exercising franchise only because of lack of privacy and other required facilities”.

The 1994 order had made it clear that women polling officers should be appointed in polling stations where there is a large number of women electors, especially ‘purda-nashin women’ (those wearing veils), to “carry out the duty of identifying the electors”.

Announcing the poll schedule for Bihar elections, Kumar had said ‘Anganwadi Sevikas’ will be deployed in all the 90,172 polling stations to ascertain the identity of women voters who go to vote wearing ‘ghoonghat’ and burqa. There were earlier controversies about political activists objecting to women wearing veils coming to vote, citing the difficulty in identifying them.

Referring to the 1994 order, sources said separate enclosures for identification of women in veil will be provided in polling stations to protect the sensitivity regarding privacy of women voters. Special arrangements will be made for women voters to exercise their franchise in the presence of lady staff.

In polling stations where more than 50% of voters are women, one of the polling officers should be a woman.

If women officials are not available, sources said the Returning Officer or Presiding Officer can appoint “any woman” to serve as an attendant at the polling station to assist women voters and also to assist the presiding officer.

While choosing such a person, the 1994 order said, special care should be taken to ensure that they do not have “any known leanings or allegiance” to any party or candidate.