BJP's Madhavi Latha booked for checking ids of Muslim women voters

Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat K Madhavi Latha was on Monday booked by election authorities after a video clip in which she was purportedly asking burqa-clad women Muslim voters to show their faces to compare with the photo identity cards surfaced.

In the video, Latha was seen asking the women voters at a polling booth to lift the burqa and show their face so that she could verify the identity.

'A case is registered in Malakpet police station against Madhavi Latha, contesting candidate, BJP, under Sections 171C, 186, 505(1)(c) of IPC and Section 132 of the Representation of the People Act,' the Hyderabad Collector said in a post on X.

She was also seen telling the policemen to allow voters into polling booths only after a thorough check.

Polling for the total 17 Lok Sabha seats was underway in Telangana.

Section 171C deals with interference or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right.

Section 186 is related to voluntarily obstructing any public servant in the discharge of public function, while 505 is applied for inciting or likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community.

Speaking about the video, the BJP leader said that she had only requested the women to verify their identity and there was nothing wrong with this.

"I am a candidate. As per law candidate has the right to check the ID cards without the facemasks. I am not a man, I am a woman and with a lot of humbleness, I have only requested them -- can I please see and verify with the ID cards? If somebody wants to make a big issue out of it, that means they are scared," she said.

Earlier in the day, Latha had alleged discrepancies in the voter list in her constituency.

Latha is taking on All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi in the Hyderabad Lok Sabha segment.

-- with inputs from ANI