Maharashtra civic polls | Videos of 'indelible' ink getting wiped off go viral; SEC launches probe

The BMC, however, rejected reports claiming that the ink marks on voters' fingers were being wiped off during the ongoing civic polls.

Mumbai: Maharashtra State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Thursday said viral videos showing people removing ink from their fingers after casting vote are under investigation, warning of action against attempts to spread a false narrative.

Social media was flooded with videos of common voters, politicians and mediapersons using Acetone to wipe off the 'indelible' ink applied with marker pens on their fingers after voting.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), however, rejected reports claiming that the ink marks on voters' fingers were being wiped off during the ongoing civic polls.

Acetone is a colourless, volatile and flammable organic solvent with a sweet, pungent odour, widely used in nail polish removers, paint thinners, and cleaning agents due to its ability to dissolve many substances.

State Election Commissioner Waghmare said that the 'indelible' ink takes time to dry and shouldn't be wiped off.

Marker ink from the Kores company has been in use since 2011. The chemical composition of the ink is also correct, he said at a press conference.

''The viral videos of the marker ink being wiped off are being investigated and case will be filed against those trying to spread a fake narrative,'' he said.

Given the experience of marker pens, the 'indelible' ink will be used in the Zilla Parishad polls next month, he added.

Waghmare also said that only one complaint of bogus voting has been received, and action has been taken accordingly.

On the issue of voters finding their names absent at polling booths where they voted in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls, he said the voters' list has been split as per ward.

It is the duty of the voter and the candidate to find out in advance, he maintained.

"The SEC has been made a soft target. The poll body cannot be blamed for everything. The assembly and Lok Sabha polling booths may not be the same for the ward-wise polling,'' he said.

Waghmare said state minister Ganesh Naik went to the wrong polling booth in Navi Mumbai and hence his voting got delayed.

Earlier in the day, 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.

“BMC wiping off accountability? Since morning we have been receiving several reports of how the marker ink being used to show voting has been done, is easily being wiped off. My colleague and his wife here demonstrate how this ink can be easily wiped off with acetone or nail polish remover,” she posted on X.

The management of the BMC polls this time raises several questions about accountability and transparency, Gaikwad said.

"The various last minute bribes to voters going unchecked, the missing names of voters, the SEC website crashing making it difficult for voters to find their names, ink that is being easily wiped. The faith of the people in our democratic process must be protected at all costs but the election commission and the BMC seem to be completely unbothered about it. Shame!” she wrote on X.

A journalist from a TV channel posted a video of wiping off the ink using Acetone in his studio, shortly after returning from Panvel, where he cast his vote in the civic polls there.

Reacting to the claims of the ink being wiped off, the BMC said in a statement that such media reports were factually incorrect.

As per procedure, polling staff apply indelible ink to one finger of the voter's left hand at the time of casting the vote on the electronic voting machine at the polling station, it said.