Kannur: Chief Election Commissioner Teeka Ram Meena informed on Saturday that voters who wear niqab would be checked at all the booths where the re-polling would be held on Sunday.
Kannur collector Mir Muhammed Ali and Kasargod collector Dr D Sajith Babu informed that additional women polling officers have been deployed at the booths for this.
The faces of the voters who wear niqab would be checked to match with their photographs on the voters list.
This system wasn’t implemented in the election held in the state on April 23.
In Kasaragod, the repoll will be held in booth number 48 at Kooliyode GHS New Building, booth number 19 Pilathara; booth number 69 Puthiyangadi Juma-ath HS North Block; booth number 70 Juma-ath HS South Block.
In Kannur, several booths for which a repoll has been ordered falls within Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's constituency Dharmadom: booth number 52 at Kunnirikka UPS, Vengad North, and booth number 53 in Kunnirikka UPS, Vengad South. The repoll will be held from 7 am to 6 pm on May 19. Repoll will also be conducted in booth number 166 at Pamburuthi Mappila UPS in Kannur.
CPM Kannur district secretary MV Jayarajan had demanded that voters wearing veils shouldn’t be allowed to cast votes.
His statement was condemned by the United Democratic Front and the Indian Union Muslim League.
Jayarajan had made the controversial remarks while speaking at a campaign meeting of the LDF at Pilathara.
He demanded that the facial veil should be taken off while the women stand in queues when they come under the surveillance of the cameras.
He also urged the Election Commission to disallow voters, who cover their faces in front of the web cameras installed in the polling booths, to cast their votes.
He said that the share of votes polled for the UDF in these booths would go down and the votes polled for the LDF would significantly increase.
LDF election committee secretary K K Ragesh MP too had made the same demand at the recent meeting convened by the collector in connection with the repolling.
This was opposed by K Surendran, the chief election agent of the UDF.
Jayarajan also submitted complaints to the chief election commissioner and the district collector pointing out that voters who wear veils over their faces could be identified only if they take off their niqab.
