Controversy erupts over BJP candidate asking Muslim women to reveal faces in Hyderabad.
Tensions mounted in the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency after a video surfaced showing BJP candidate Kompella Madhavi Latha purportedly asking burqa-clad Muslim voters to remove veils for identity verification at a polling booth.
District Election Officer Ronald Ross stated an FIR will be filed against Latha for the unauthorized act, stressing only polling staff can establish voter credentials on suspicion. Denying wrongdoing, the candidate said legal provisions allow for candidates’ ID checks sans face cover.
Situated in a Muslim-majority area, the high-stakes Hyderabad seat pits Latha against four-time MP and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi. The latter shared the clip online without comment as the row raged on polling day.
While Latha had previously voiced hopes of Muslim support, citing BJP’s triple talaq bill, the backlash over the surfacing videos is expected to impact minority voter outreach.
Her allegations of lax polling processes and senior voters’ names missing have also attracted police scrutiny. As investigations into the incident begin, a sectarian campaign cloud looms over a long-standing family bastion facing a saffron challenge.
The inflammatory issue has dominated the final phase of polling and could influence outcomes from this hotly contested southern constituency.
