EC 'gaslighting' citizens: Rahul Gandhi on indelible ink row in Maharashtra civic polls

New Delhi: Amid the row over the quality of 'indelible' ink used in marker pens in Maharashtra civic polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday asserted that "vote chori is an anti-national act" and accused the Election Commission of gaslighting citizens.

Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday evening said it would conduct a thorough probe into the quality of the 'indelible' ink in marker pens used for the civic polls, after opposition leaders alleged that the mark on a voter's finger could be removed easily, enabling bogus voting.

Amid polling for 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), social media was flooded with videos claiming to demonstrate how the ink could be removed using chemicals such as acetone, even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the claims.

Gandhi shared on X a media report on the row which stated that "opposition, voters cry foul over fading ink markers".

"Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy. Vote Chori is an anti-national act," Gandhi said in his post on X.

Speaking with PTI, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that in view of the controversy, the SEC will not use marker pens for the coming Zilla Parishad elections but revert to the traditional ink -- produced by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, a company of the Karnataka government -- 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.

"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," the state election commissioner said.

"We have been using these pens since 2011 for all local body elections," he added.

Another SEC official said Kores (India) Ltd had supplied the marker pens, and those were as per the commission's specifications. Three marker pens were provided for each polling booth, he added.

Earlier, Mumbai Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Varsha Gaikwad posted a video of her party colleague using acetone to wipe off the ink from his finger.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray also raised the issue after casting his vote in Dadar.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he too 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 made the same allegation. Notably, state minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat too endorsed the claim about the ink coming off fingers easily.

The SEC, however, claimed that even if someone tried to vote again by removing the ink mark, it was not possible as other safeguards were in place.