The Bharatiya Janata Party is embarking on a strategic manoeuver ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, focusing particularly on the minority-dominated regions. In a bid to bolster its electoral prospects, the party has chalked out plans to deploy women functionaries from the Muslim community to oversee polling booths, primarily in the western parts of Uttar Pradesh where there is a substantial Muslim population. Basit Ali, chief of the UP BJP Minority Morcha, underscored the significance of this initiative. Our women workers, hailing from the respective localities, will be stationed at 40,000 polling booths to assist officials in verifying the identities of voters, Ali said He emphasised the importance of their local knowledge in authenticating voters identities against the provided documents. This move comes amidst the BJPs persistent calls to the Election Commission of India to scrutinise the identities of burqa-clad women voters, a demand that has sparked controversy among opposition parties. Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the BJP intends to press this demand, commencing with the first phase of elections covering regions such as Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Moradabad and Rampur, known for their significant Muslim population. The decision to engage Muslim women in the electoral process purportedly followed during a high-level meeting of state BJP leaders, including UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and state general secretary Dharampal Singh. The meeting, attended by key members of the UP BJP Minority Morcha, aimed at fortifying the BJPs electoral foothold among Muslims and counteracting opposition challenges. Ali further explained the UP BJP Minority Morchas strategy, highlighting the setting up of 11-member booth-level committees across all 40,000 booths. We aim to engage Muslim voters, many of whom have benefited from various government schemes. Even a marginal increase in our support can significantly impact the partys electoral fortunes, Ali remarked, pointing out the potential gain of an additional 10 lakh votes. The BJPs move to involve women from the Muslim community in the electoral process underscores its concerted efforts to broaden its support base and navigate the intricate dynamics of minority-centric constituencies ahead of the crucial polls.

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