October 17, 2025

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) is standing strong amid uproar over its order to verify the identity of burqa-clad women voters during Bihar’s assembly elections. Some opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party, want the EC to drop this requirement. But the EC says it is just following a well-known rule from 1994, back when T N Seshan was the Chief Election Commissioner. Way back on October 21, 1994, the EC issued an order to handle voting by 'purdahnasheen' women with great care and respect. The order said, “to protect the sensitivity regarding privacy of women voters, separate enclosures for identification... should be provided in the polling station with locally available but absolutely inexpensive devices and using local ingenuity, such as use of charpoys or cloth such as bed spreads.” This was because many women avoided voting due to customs and traditions. Fast forward to today, the EC assures special arrangements will continue for the "dignified" identity verification of women wearing burqas or purdah. Lady polling officers or attendants will be present to respect their privacy. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar recently shared at a press conference that Anganwadi workers will be stationed at all polling booths in Bihar to help with this verification. Replying to concerns about burqa and ghungat-clad women voters, Kumar said, "Our Anganwadi workers will be deployed at all polling booths for verifying the identity of burqa-clad women. The guidelines of the commission are very clear about this -- that how identity is verified inside a polling station and they will be strictly followed." Up to 90,712 Anganwadi Sevikas will be on poll duty across Bihar. Meanwhile, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal has urged the EC to make sure faces of women in burqas are matched with their voter cards. Excitement is building for Bihar’s assembly elections that will happen in two phases on November 6 and 11. The final count will be held on November 14. So, the EC is gearing up to conduct smooth polls while respecting the privacy and dignity of every woman voter, no matter what she wears!

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Tags: Election commission, Bihar assembly elections, Burqa identity verification, Women voters, Anganwadi workers,