New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS): A missive by Samajwadi Party (SP) Uttar Pradesh chief Shyam Lal Pal to the Election Commission (EC) regarding Muslim women voters has sparked off a major controversy with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing it of communalising and vitiating the electoral atmosphere in final hours ahead of state Assembly by-polls slated for November 20.
BJP called it a fresh attempt to polarise the minority community and said that their gameplan stands exposed now while RJD sought to put the ball in PM’s court.
Shyam Lal Pal, the SP UP chief in his letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday, urged that the poll panel should issue directions to its officers and police personnel that they won’t remove Muslim women's burqas for identity verification during voting.
The issue triggered reactions from political leaders.
BJP's Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that this was merely a move to divide the community on religious lines.
"This is what you will hear when fake voters and pseudo secular voices will be exposed," he remarked.
Meanwhile, RJD MP Manoj Jha chose to skirt direct answers on the controversia letter and said that it was incumbent on the Prime Minister to take a call.
"It is happening in every part of the country. A lot depends on PM Modi as to how he wants to build this country. It is sad to see such differentiation taking place. As a PM of our country, he should treat everyone equally," Jha said.
Pal's letter, addressed to the Election Commission, demands that a directive be issued to Returning Officers, District Magistrates, and law enforcement officers, emphasising that 'no police official have the authority to verify voter IDs of burqa-clad women'.
The SP leader highlighted a worrying incident from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Muslim women voters, particularly those supporting SP, were allegedly forced to remove their veils by police officers. This, Pal claims, instilled fear among voters, discouraging many from casting their ballots and potentially affecting voter turnout.
"Many SP supporters, especially Muslim women, left polling stations without voting due to the discomfort and intimidation they faced," he wrote.
The letter comes ahead of the November 20 by-elections, when nine seats of Uttar Pradesh including Meerapur, Kundarki, and Ghaziabad will go to the polls.