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Amid the enactment implicit the prime of 'indelible' ink utilized successful marker pens successful Maharashtra Civic Polls, Congress person Rahul Gandhi connected Friday (January 16, 2026) asserted that "vote chori is an anti-national act" and accused the Election Commission of gaslighting citizens.
Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) connected Thursday (January 15, 2026) evening said it would behaviour a thorough probe into the prime of the 'indelible' ink successful marker pens utilized for the civic polls, after Opposition leaders alleged that the people connected a voter's digit could beryllium removed easily, enabling bogus voting.
Maharashtra civic predetermination results updates connected January 16, 2026
Amid polling for 29 Municipal Corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), societal media was flooded with videos claiming to show however the ink could beryllium removed utilizing chemicals specified arsenic acetone, adjacent arsenic Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the claims.
Mr. Gandhi shared connected X a media study connected the enactment which stated that "opposition, voters outcry foul implicit fading ink markers".
"Election committee gaslighting citizens is however spot has collapsed successful our democracy. Vote Chori is an anti-national act," Mr. Gandhi said successful his station connected X.
Speaking with PTI, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that successful presumption of the controversy, the SEC volition not usage marker pens for the coming Zilla Parishad elections but revert to the accepted ink — produced by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, a institution of the Karnataka authorities — utilized successful Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
"The SEC has decided to behaviour a probe.....it volition screen not lone the ink prime but besides the videos which were circulated passim the day. The probe into videos is to ascertain whether the ink was applied connected the digit portion voting oregon successful a mischievous way," Mr. Waghmare said.
"We volition bash a random sampling of marker pens utilized contiguous crossed the authorities and verify the prime of the ink supplied to us. The look for the prime of the ink is finalised by the Election committee of India and a backstage institution supplied the pens to the SEC," the State Election Commissioner said.
"We person been utilizing these pens since 2011 for each section assemblage elections," helium added.
Another SEC authoritative said Kores (India) Ltd had supplied the marker pens, and those were arsenic per the Commission's specifications. Three marker pens were provided for each polling booth, helium added.
Earlier, Mumbai Congress person and Lok Sabha subordinate Varsha Gaikwad posted a video of her enactment workfellow utilizing acetone to hitch disconnected the ink from his finger.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena main Raj Thackeray besides raised the contented aft casting his ballot successful Dadar.
Shiv Sena (UBT) main Uddhav Thackeray said helium excessively received reports of ink being washed away.
"This is shocking," the erstwhile Chief Minister said, accusing SEC Waghmare of siding with the ruling BJP-led confederation and demanding his suspension.
Maharashtra Congress Legislative Party person Vijay Wadettiwar made the aforesaid allegation. Notably, State Minister and Shiv Sena person Sanjay Shirsat excessively endorsed the assertion astir the ink coming disconnected fingers easily.
The SEC, however, claimed that adjacent if idiosyncratic tried to ballot again by removing the ink mark, it was not imaginable arsenic different safeguards were successful place.
