Patna: Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal on Saturday urged the Election Commission (EC) to conduct the upcoming assembly polls in one or two phases and ensure that the faces of women turning up at booths in burqas are matched with their voter cards.
Jaiswal, who led a BJP delegation that met the visiting EC team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, also requested adequate deployment of paramilitary forces in areas vulnerable to booth capture and voter intimidation.
“We have urged the EC to conduct the elections in one or two phases. The election process need not be staggered. Also, 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,” he told reporters after the meeting.
He added, “We have also requested that paramilitary forces be deployed in villages with a heavy population of weaker sections, like extremely backward classes, a few days in advance. A flag march-like exercise should be conducted to instil confidence among the voters.”
Jaiswal further emphasized the need for special security arrangements in sensitive areas. “In riverine areas, which have had a history of booth capturing, deployment of cavalry must also be ensured,” he said.
The EC also gave some suggestions for political parties during the meeting. “Upon completion of voting, polling agents must obtain Form 17C from the presiding officer. Many times, agents leave their assigned booths without doing so, leaving scope for unnecessary disputes later,” he explained.
Regarding the poll dates, Jaiswal said, “As per rules, polls can be held after a gap of at least 28 days from the date of announcement. If, for example, elections are announced in a few days from now, then the polls can be held by November 3-4.”
He maintained that the polls should be held at the earliest possible date and should not be delayed further.
*Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/bihar-bjp-president-dilip-jaiswal-urges-election-commission-to-conduct-assembly-polls-in-one-or-two-phases