The Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) party contesting the Hyderabad municipal elections on Tuesday alleged that many women from outside the constituency arrived to cast bogus voters at the Azampura ward. The Hyderabad police, however, rejected the claims made by the party.
On December 1 as Hyderabad went to polls across 150 wards, Amjed Ulla Khan, spokesperson for the MBT party, alleged that six autorickshaws carrying women wearing burqas arrived at booth number 15 and 16 of Azampura ward.
The party spokesperson alleged that the women were brought from neighbouring wards to cast bogus votes. He claimed that the women when quizzed by the local police were unable to prove their credentials and moved to the Chadarghat police station.
Azampura ward no 28, is reserved for women and is considered a stronghold of the AIMIM. Their key rival the MBT had earlier pointed out issues in the electoral rolls of several wards to the State Election Commission. The party had alleged that the electoral rolls contained fake and bogus voters and accused the AIMIM of inserting these bogus voters into the electoral rolls.
MBT has fielded Asma Khatoon, the wife of Amjed Ulla Khan, to contest from the ward against Ayesha Jehan Naseem of the AIMIM.
Speaking to TNM, M Ramesh, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Zone said the claims being made by the MBT party were inaccurate and false. "These women were just going in an auto-rickshaw when they were stopped and MBT party workers alleging that these are women casting bogus votes. The women were let off after verification. There are women staff at the polling stations who will verify the credentials of women voters in burqas to check if the real person is voting. There is no scope of bogus voting," the officer said.
Mild tensions were reported from the Jangammet ward in Chandrayangutta circle when AIMIM party workers protested against a BJP leader visiting the polling station. The AIMIM party workers claimed that the BJP leader is neither a local voter nor a polling agent to be present at the polling station. Local police brought the situation under control.