The elections to 29 Municipal civic bodies in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, concluded on Thursday, with the State Election Commission facing an unprecedented challenge over the indelible ink used in polls.
While political parties alleged conspiracy, the SEC dismissed the concerns and said there were multiple checks and balances to prevent false voting in the polls. The poll body termed the entire controversy unnecessary.
As polling progressed through the day, videos reportedly surfaced showing how easily the indelible ink could be "removed". The videos went viral, and the poll body has launched a probe into the accusations. While the ruling Mahayuti alliance termed the controversy as an attempt to cast doubt on the functioning of the State Election Commission, the Opposition targeted the poll body, alleging inaction.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar demanded strict action against persons attempting to wipe off ink from their fingers after exercising their franchise. He alleged they were trying to facilitate bogus voting and undermine the sanctity of the electoral process.
Shelar said, "People who are wiping off ink are attempting bogus voting. A criminal case must be registered against them and a thorough probe should be conducted. Strict action is necessary to protect the sanctity of elections and to ascertain the real motive behind creating confusion over the ink."
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray also raised suspicions over the ink used to mark voters in these polls. They accused the poll body of inaction.
Meanwhile, the poll body dismissed these allegations. State Election Commissioner Dinesh T. Waghmare said, " The ink being used to mark the fingers of voters is indelible ink, and it is the same ink which is used by Election Commission of India in various elections. The only difference is that it is being used in the form of a marker. But, I also want to say this that this marker form of indelible ink is in used since 2011. So, people who are raising suspicion or creating confusion over this indelible ink don’t mean anything."
He added that several other practices are in place to check voters to prevent bogus voting, like the identification of voters by representatives of political parties and the presiding officer.
