Bihar Elections: TN Seshan's 1994 guidelines will apply to burqa-wearing women.

New Delhi, October 16 (IANS). The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to implement former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan’s 1994 decision regarding ‘Pardanashin’ (burqa-wearing) women in the Bihar Assembly elections. Referring to the ECI order ‘General Elections to State Legislatures (1994) Special Facilities at Polling Stations for Women Voters’, the Commission stressed that the 1994 decisions of former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan be implemented for women voters in Bihar. In 1994, TN Seshan issued special guidelines directing voting officers to make such arrangements while respecting such sensitivities, so that women could exercise their franchise without any fear or identity challenges. According to the 1994 order of the former Chief Election Commissioner, the Chief Electoral Officer, District Returning Officer, Returning Officer, Assistant Returning Officer and Presiding Officer are responsible for ensuring that special arrangements are made for women voters to vote in the presence of lady staff. The order said that where the number of women voters is high (about 50 percent or more) and they follow the practice of burqa or purdah as a social tradition, at least one polling officer must be a woman at each such polling station. The order also said: “If women officers are not available in sufficient numbers, the Returning Officer or Presiding Officer has the power under Rule 34(2) to appoint a woman as an assistant at the polling station.” Let us tell you that the assembly election is being held in two phases in Bihar. There will be voting in the first phase on 6 November and in the second phase on 11 November. After this, the result of the Bihar assembly election will be declared on November 14. –IANS DCH/DKP Share this story Tags