BJP's Muzaffarnagar candidate Sanjeev Balyan claims fake voting in LS polls, wants 'faces in burqa' checked

BJP lawmaker from western Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, Sanjeev Balyan on Thursday alleged “fake” voting in his Lok Sabha constituency, claiming that faces of “burqa-clad” voters were not being verified by poll officials. “Faces of women in burqa are not being checked and I allege that fake voting is taking place,” Balyan told ANI after casting his vote.

BJP candidate Sanjeev Balyan alleges 'fake voting' in Muzaffarnagar

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Balyan also said that if his concerns were not addressed, he would demand for a re-poll. In the Muzaffarnagar parliamentary seat, around five lakh of the total 16 lakh voters are Muslim. There are 11 lakh are Hindu voters, including Jats, Jatavs, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Scheduled Castes, NDTV reported. The communally-sensitive seat will see a clash of heavyweights- Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, who has allied with Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav. However, the Congress did not field any candidate. The constituency gained notoriety in the aftermath of the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013. Muslims constitute the single biggest electorate in the constituency. The Dalit community has the second biggest chunk of voters. Jats, who dominate the landscape of western Uttar Pradesh, are also influential in the constituency. Voting for the first phase of the General Election is underway for eight out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Counting of votes will take place on 23 May. With inputs from ANI Follow all the LIVE updates from Phase 1 of the Lok Sabha election here