A video shows a worker from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegedly outlining tactics to bribe police and election officials to intimidate Muslim voters and suppress turnout in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal constituency before the May 7 polls.
The viral video shows BJP worker Bhuvnesh Kumar Varshney detailing methods to “create chaos” and deter Muslim women from voting. Metadata indicates the footage was recorded about a month before the election.
In the clip, Varshney instructs BJP polling agents to pick fights and falsely accuse Muslim voters of carrying forged documents to “slow down” voting. He advocates bribing polling staff and police officers to ignore the disruptions.
“Arrange boarding, food, and show your faces so they know we are their people,” Varshney instructs on meeting election officials a day prior. “Spend Rs 500 for officials and Rs 100 for police. Keep money in their pocket saying this is for tea only.”
He adds, “Create chaos. Fight without weapons. No physical assault. Just drama. It’ll stop women from coming.”
Varshney’s ultimate goal, as stated in the video, was to “ensure low turnout” of Muslim voters by making polling locations appear unsafe through staged skirmishes and altercations.
The footage has sparked outrage from opposition parties accusing the BJP of voter suppression against minorities. The Election Commission has been urged to investigate.
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