Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP To Deploy Muslim Women Functionaries To Monitor Polling Booths In UP

Lucknow: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with a strategic move aimed at minority-dominated areas. In a bid to enhance its electoral prospects, the party plans to deploy women functionaries from the Muslim community to monitor polling booths, particularly in regions of west Uttar Pradesh where there's a significant Muslim population.

Basit Ali, the chief of the UP BJP minority morcha, emphasized the significance of this initiative. "Our women workers, hailing from the respective localities, will be stationed at 40,000 polling booths to assist officials in verifying voters' identities," Ali said.

He highlighted the importance of their local knowledge in authenticating voters' identities against the provided documents.

BJP demands to scrutinize identities of burqa-clad women voters

This move comes amid the BJP's persistent calls for the election commission to scrutinize the identities of burqa-clad women voters, a demand that has stirred controversy among opposition parties.

Sources reveal that the BJP intends to intensify this demand, starting with the first phase of elections covering areas such as Saharanpur, Kirana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Moradabad, and Rampur, known for their sizable Muslim population.

The decision to involve Muslim women in the electoral process was reportedly taken during a high-level meeting of state BJP leaders, including UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and state general secretary Dharam Pal Singh. The meeting, attended by key members of the Muslim morcha, aimed at strengthening the BJP's electoral presence among Muslims and countering opposition challenges.

Ali further elaborated on the morcha's strategy, mentioning the establishment of 11-member booth-level committees across all 40,000 booths. "We aim to engage Muslim voters, many of whom have benefited from various government schemes. Even a marginal increase in our support can significantly impact the party's electoral fortunes," Ali remarked, highlighting the potential gain of an additional 10 lakh votes.