**Burqa-Clad Voters’ Identification Must During Bihar Polls: BJP Chief**
*By Snehil Singh | Oct 05, 2025, 10:44 am*
Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Dilip Jaiswal has stirred controversy by urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to verify the identities of burqa-clad voters in the upcoming Bihar elections. He made this demand during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Tallying of faces of voters, especially burqa-clad women, must be ensured with respective EPIC cards so that only genuine voters get to exercise their franchise,” Jaiswal stated following the discussion.
**Opposition Response: RJD Calls it a Political Conspiracy**
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bihar’s main opposition party, strongly criticized Jaiswal’s remarks. RJD MP Abhay Kushwaha described the demand as a “political conspiracy.”
He added, “The Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls has just been carried out. New EPIC cards are to be issued to all voters with fresh photographs. Identification of voters is no big deal.”
**Official Backing: Deputy CM Supports Demand**
Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha backed Jaiswal’s call, drawing parallels with Hindu women who wear veils.
“According to the Constitution, the law should be the same for all,” Sinha remarked. He further explained that female officers would verify the identities of female voters and emphasized that any decision taken by the Election Commission would be final.
**Election Phase Agreement: BJP and RJD on the Same Page**
Interestingly, both the BJP and RJD agree on conducting the elections in one or two phases without staggering the process. They have jointly urged the ECI against dividing the polling into multiple phases.
The RJD additionally suggested holding the polls after the Chhath festival, which is scheduled at the end of October this year.
**Support from Smaller Parties for Two-Phase Elections**
Smaller parties, including Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and CPI(ML) Liberation, have also backed the demand for two-phase elections.
The BJP recommended deploying paramilitary forces in villages with weaker sections to ensure voter safety during the polls.
Meanwhile, the RJD has called for greater transparency from the ECI regarding the revision of electoral rolls and requested a list of sensitive booths to prevent voter intimidation.
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*Stay tuned for more updates on the Bihar elections.*
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/politics/bihar-polls-bjp-chief-s-burqa-verification-demand-triggers-row/story
