BJP candidate Madhavi Latha courts controversy, asks Muslim women to show face for ID check | Watch
PTC Web Desk: BJP's dynamic candidate from Hyderabad Kompella Madhavi Latha has landed in a legal trouble. A case has been registered against her after a video showed her asking burqa-clad Muslim women at a polling booth to show their faces so that she could match them with the photographs on their voter ID cards.
Notably, a video has surfaced, wherein she is asking burqa-clad Muslim women to show their faces for identity verification against their voter ID cards. Following this, a case has been registered against her under relevant sections of the IPC and the Representation of the People Act, as confirmed by the Hyderabad Collector's office in a social media post.
#WATCH | Telangana: BJP candidate from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, Madhavi Latha visits a polling booth in the constituency. Voting for the fourth phase of #LokSabhaElections2024 is underway. pic.twitter.com/BlsQXRn80C — ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2024
Madhavi Latha has garnered a lot of attention in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections on Monday. She is fighting against four-time MP from Hyderabad and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
District Election Officer Ronald Ross has clearly stated that lifting someone's veil to verify identity is not permissible, and any suspicions should be addressed through polling officers. However, Madhavi Latha defended her actions, citing the right of a candidate to verify ID cards without face coverings.
"I am a candidate. As per law, a candidate has the right to check ID cards without facemasks. I am not a man, I am a woman and with a lot of humility, I requested them. If somebody wants to make a big issue out of it, it means they are scared," she added.
Owaisi has not made any comment on the incident, though he has shared the viral video on his Twitter timeline.
- With inputs from agencies
