YOUR VOTE, ERASED IN MINUTES? Marker pen replaces indelible ink, janta cries foul!

PUNE/MUMBAI: Even as alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct continue to shadow the civic polls, another shocking assault on democracy has left voters stunned. On Thursday, polling officials were seen using sketch marker pens instead of traditional indelible ink which voters alleged, that the ink faded, smudged or vanished within minutes.

By noon on polling day, social media exploded with photos, videos and angry testimonies of voters rubbing off the ink using sanitiser, acetone, oil and even dry tissue, triggering serious fears of repeat voting, bogus votes and large-scale manipulation.

One furious voter said, “I voted, and my ink was gone before I reached home.”

Another voter posted online, “This is not indelible ink. This is a joke. My finger was clean within half an hour.”

A Mumbai voter asked bluntly, “If the ink can be erased so easily, what stops someone from voting twice?”

The outrage did not stop at individual complaints. WhatsApp groups, X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit threads erupted, with voters accusing authorities of watering down the most basic safeguard against double voting, and that too during a high-stakes civic election involving India’s richest municipal bodies.

One user directly questioned the State Election Commission (SEC), asking, “What is this, SEC? A sketch pen for voting? The ink disappears with sanitiser.”

Another voter alleged something more sinister, saying, “This feels designed, not accidental. For elections worth thousands of crores, they couldn’t afford real indelible ink?”

However, senior RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said the ink issue is only one part of a much larger problem.

“Ink being wiped off, absence of VVPATs, last-minute use of PADU, duplicate voters, the same candidate contesting from different places for different parties, voters unable to locate polling stations, EVM malfunctions and open money distribution — all of this points to the Election Commission’s inefficiency,” he alleged.

When National Bulletin contacted questioning about the “easily fading of the ink," Naval Kishore Ram, Commissioner, PMC, he said, “These are rumours and there is no truth to them. Indelible ink used earlier was discontinued many years ago and markers are now used. The ink should not fade easily. People may be using chemicals to remove it. However, we will take proper precautions and keep a strict watch.”