During voting for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Hyderabad, Madhavi Latha, on Monday, sparked a row by asking burqa-clad Muslim women at a polling booth to reveal their faces so that she can match them with the photographs on their voter ID cards.

Her action sparked a row as a video from the polling booth emerged. Madhavi Latha and Owaisi are facing off in Hyderabad, which the latter won by a sizeable margin in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Also Read: Lok Sabha elections phase 4 Live Updates

Latha, who visited several polling booths after she cast her vote at Amrita Vidyalaya, halted at a polling booth in Azampur, where she started checking IDs of women waiting to vote. In a video, she can be seen asking a burqa-clad woman to lift her veil, which the latter does.

On being asked about why she checked the IDs of voters, the BJP candidate said that a candidate has the right to check voter ID cards.

“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 told ANI.

Latha alleged discrepancies in the voters’ list. “The police personnel seem very dull, they are not active. They are not checking anything. Senior citizen voters are coming here, but their names have been deleted from the list,” she told ANI.

Also Read: Assembly elections Live Updates

The Hyderbad Collector has stated that a case has been filed against Latha at the Malakpet Police Station under sections 171C (undue influence at an election), 186 ( obstructing public servant), 505(1)(c) (intent to incite) of the IPC and Section 132 of the Representation of the People Act (misconduct at the polling station), Indian Express reported.

Earlier in April, Madhavi Latha found herself embroiled in another controversy. A video purportedly showed her symbolically shooting an arrow in the direction of a mosque during the Rama Navami rally. She later apologised and claimed that the video clip was incomplete.

As the video went viral on social media, Latha wrote on X, “It has come to my notice that one video of mine is being circulated in the media to create negativity. I would like to clarify that it is an incomplete view and even because of such a video if anyone’s sentiments are hurt, I would like to apologise as I respect all individuals.”

17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana are polling on Monday.