<p>The BJP today urged the EC to deploy women force at polling booths in the last two phases of the UP Assembly polls to check identity of burqa-clad female voters and prevent bogus voting, leaving some Muslim bodies fuming.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, the party said, "The BJP demands that to establish the identity of burqa-clad female voters in the sixth and seventh phase of the UP polls, women police and central paramilitary forces be posted at sensitive and hyper-sensitive polling booths".<br /><br />BJP leaders J P S Rathore and Kuldeep Pati Tripathi said in the letter that a large number of burqa-clad women exercise their franchise and there was a possibility of false voting.<br /><br />"Adequate deployment of female police would ensure proper checking of women voters, and at the same time, minimising incidents of bogus voting," they said. A large number of constituencies going to polls in the last two rounds on March 4 and 8 fall in Muslim-dominated districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.<br /><br />The demand by the saffron party, however, did not go down well with Muslim organisations, with some of them accusing BJP of deliberately indulging in "polarisation politics".<br /><br />Mahila Muslim Personal Law Board Chairperson Shaista Amber said, "Till now, the election and voting process have been rather smooth, and the Election Commission deserves a round of applause for this. However, in a bid to polarise the votes in the sixth and seventh phase, the BJP has now come up with this strange demand".<br /><br />She said this act of BJP smacked of its "sick mentality". "Whether a woman is wearing burqa or ghoonghat, no one has the right to offend her womanhood and dignity," she said.<br /><br />Shia Personal Law Board spokesperson Yassob Abbas said, "This is a deliberate tactic of the BJP to polarise the votes. We would not tolerate even an iota of insult to burqa."<br /><br />He said even non-Muslim women living in villages wear 'pallu' (veil). "Will the pallu (of non-Muslim women) be removed to check and verify their identity?" he asked, adding "It is better not to do any politics over burqa".<br /><br />Senior member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali said, "Ever since the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections have started, a conscious attempt has been made to target Muslim women".<br /><br />"It started with triple talaq, which has fallen flat on the face of the BJP," he said. He also said that as per the laid down provisions of law, a voter is allowed to cast his or her vote only after the poll official cross-checks and verifies the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) card. "I think that there is a planned attempt to keep Muslim women voters away from voting," he said.<br /><br />Saharanpur-based Islamic seminary of Darul Uloom Deoband refused to comment.Muslims make up around 19-20 per cent of UP's population of nearly 200 million.<br /><br />Out of 403 assembly constituencies in UP, there are nearly 120 seats where the percentage of Muslim voters is more than 20 per cent (Muslim-dominated seats) and in certain parts of eastern UP, their population is up to 27 per cent.</p>
<p>The BJP today urged the EC to deploy women force at polling booths in the last two phases of the UP Assembly polls to check identity of burqa-clad female voters and prevent bogus voting, leaving some Muslim bodies fuming.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, the party said, "The BJP demands that to establish the identity of burqa-clad female voters in the sixth and seventh phase of the UP polls, women police and central paramilitary forces be posted at sensitive and hyper-sensitive polling booths".<br /><br />BJP leaders J P S Rathore and Kuldeep Pati Tripathi said in the letter that a large number of burqa-clad women exercise their franchise and there was a possibility of false voting.<br /><br />"Adequate deployment of female police would ensure proper checking of women voters, and at the same time, minimising incidents of bogus voting," they said. A large number of constituencies going to polls in the last two rounds on March 4 and 8 fall in Muslim-dominated districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.<br /><br />The demand by the saffron party, however, did not go down well with Muslim organisations, with some of them accusing BJP of deliberately indulging in "polarisation politics".<br /><br />Mahila Muslim Personal Law Board Chairperson Shaista Amber said, "Till now, the election and voting process have been rather smooth, and the Election Commission deserves a round of applause for this. However, in a bid to polarise the votes in the sixth and seventh phase, the BJP has now come up with this strange demand".<br /><br />She said this act of BJP smacked of its "sick mentality". "Whether a woman is wearing burqa or ghoonghat, no one has the right to offend her womanhood and dignity," she said.<br /><br />Shia Personal Law Board spokesperson Yassob Abbas said, "This is a deliberate tactic of the BJP to polarise the votes. We would not tolerate even an iota of insult to burqa."<br /><br />He said even non-Muslim women living in villages wear 'pallu' (veil). "Will the pallu (of non-Muslim women) be removed to check and verify their identity?" he asked, adding "It is better not to do any politics over burqa".<br /><br />Senior member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali said, "Ever since the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections have started, a conscious attempt has been made to target Muslim women".<br /><br />"It started with triple talaq, which has fallen flat on the face of the BJP," he said. He also said that as per the laid down provisions of law, a voter is allowed to cast his or her vote only after the poll official cross-checks and verifies the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) card. "I think that there is a planned attempt to keep Muslim women voters away from voting," he said.<br /><br />Saharanpur-based Islamic seminary of Darul Uloom Deoband refused to comment.Muslims make up around 19-20 per cent of UP's population of nearly 200 million.<br /><br />Out of 403 assembly constituencies in UP, there are nearly 120 seats where the percentage of Muslim voters is more than 20 per cent (Muslim-dominated seats) and in certain parts of eastern UP, their population is up to 27 per cent.</p>