Jaunpur (UP) (PTI): A unique cross-border wedding ceremony took place in this Uttar Pradesh district, when a BJP leader's son married a Pakistani girl through an online "nikah".

Tahseen Shahid, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator, had arranged the marriage of his elder son, Mohammad Abbas Haider, with Andleep Zahra, a resident of Lahore. Despite applying for visa, the groom was unable to obtain it due to the ongoing political tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

The situation became even more challenging when the bride's mother, Rana Yasmin Zaidi, fell ill and was admitted to the ICU in Pakistan. In light of these circumstances, Shahid decided to conduct the wedding ceremony online.

On Friday night, Shahid gathered with the "baraati" at an imambara and participated in the online "nikah". The bride's family took part in the ceremony from Lahore.

Shia religious leader Maulana Mahfoozul Hasan Khan explained that in Islam, the woman's consent is essential for "nikah" and she communicates it to the maulana. He said an online "nikah" is possible when the maulanas from both sides can conduct the ceremony together.

Haider expressed hope that his wife would get her Indian visa without any hassle.

BJP MLC Brijesh Singh Prishu and other guests attended the wedding ceremony and congratulated the groom's family.

 

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Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.

The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.

"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.

Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.

The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."

Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.

"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.

Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.

He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.

"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.