Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of gaslighting voters over the indelible ink controversy in Maharashtra civic polls.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission ordered a probe and said it will revert to traditional ink for upcoming Zilla Parishad elections.
Opposition leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, flagged concerns after videos showed ink being removed using chemicals.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday escalated the political row over the quality of ‘indelible’ ink used in Maharashtra’s civic polls, calling alleged vote theft “an anti-national act” and accusing the Election Commission of gaslighting citizens, even as the State Election Commission (SEC) ordered a probe into the matter, according to PTI.
The controversy erupted during polling for 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), after opposition leaders claimed that the ink used in marker pens to mark voters’ fingers could be easily removed, potentially enabling bogus voting. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the ink being wiped off using chemicals such as acetone, a charge Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed, PTI reported.
Responding to the allegations, the Maharashtra SEC said on Thursday evening that it would conduct a thorough investigation into the quality of the ‘indelible’ ink used in the marker pens. Gandhi shared on X a media report titled “opposition, voters cry foul over fading ink markers” and wrote: “Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy. Vote Chori is an anti-national act.”
Speaking to PTI, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that in view of the controversy, the SEC would not use marker pens for the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections and would instead revert to the traditional indelible ink produced by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, a Karnataka government company, which is used in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
“The SEC has decided to conduct a probe.....it will cover not only the ink quality but also the videos which were circulated throughout the day. The probe into videos is to ascertain whether the ink was applied on the finger while voting or in a mischievous way,” Waghmare said, according to PTI.
He added that the commission would carry out random sampling of marker pens used across the state to verify the quality of the ink supplied. “We will do a random sampling of marker pens used today across the state and verify the quality of the ink supplied to us. The formula for the quality of the ink is finalised by the Election commission of India and a private company supplied the pens to the SEC,” Waghmare said. He also noted that the SEC had been using these pens since 2011 for all local body elections.
Another SEC official said that Kores (India) Ltd had supplied the marker pens in line with the commission’s specifications, adding that three marker pens were provided for each polling booth, PTI reported.
Opposition leaders continued to raise concerns through the day. Mumbai Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad posted a video showing a party colleague using acetone to wipe the ink off his finger. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray flagged the issue after casting his vote in Dadar, while Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he had also received reports of ink being washed away.
“This is shocking,” the former chief minister said, accusing SEC Waghmare of siding with the ruling BJP-led alliance and demanding his suspension. Maharashtra Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar echoed the allegation. Notably, state minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat also endorsed the claim that the ink could come off fingers easily.
The SEC, however, maintained that even if someone attempted to vote again after removing the ink mark, it would not be possible due to other safeguards in the polling process, according to PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
