Rahul Gandhi slams EC over indelible ink mark row in BMC polls

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday (January 16) attacked the Election Commission for gaslighting citizens after videos on social media went viral of voters in Maharashtra local body elections, who managed to erase the ‘indelible ink’ mark.

“Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy. Vote Chori is an anti-national act,” Rahul wrote on his X account.

Also read: BMC poll results: BJP-led alliance ahead in early leads

Several videos by common people to politicians on social media went viral on Thursday (January 15) where people were seen erasing the indelible ink mark using Acetone after casting vote in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Acetone is a flammable and colourless chemical widely used in paints, plastics, nail polish remover, and cleaning agents.

SEC statement

The issue of removing the ink mark raised accountability and transparency concerns on the Election Commission.

Also read: Maharashtra local body polls: Cannot vote again even if ink is erased, says SEC

As per the protocol, while casting a vote in a polling booth, the official will apply an ink on the voter’s finger indicating that the individual has cast their vote. Usually, the ink mark stays for up to 4 days on skin and up to 3-4 weeks on the nail.

Following the allegations, the State Election Commission had issue a statement clarifying that even if a voter manages to erase the ink applied on the finger after voting, the concerned voter cannot vote again since the poll body maintains a record of all those who cast their vote.

“Necessary safeguards in this regard have already been put in place. Once a voter has cast their vote, a record of it is maintained. Therefore, merely erasing the ink does not enable a voter who has committed such malpractice to vote again,” read the official statement from the SEC.

BJP's 'khandani chor' barb at Rahul

Reacting to Rahul's comments, the BJP attacked him with a "khandani chor" barb, accusing him of misleading people by discrediting the Maharashtra civic poll process while the counting of votes was underway.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a post on X, said, "Bahana (excuse) brigade back! Accepting defeat before counting ends?" "Rahul Back to doing what he does best -- discredit, distort and disinform. 'Khandani chor' now regurgitating claims of Thackerays," he charged.

Poonawalla also sought to know what came out of Gandhi's 'vote chori' allegations on the Bihar elections.

Election results

As the counting of the votes is underway, the morning trends indicate BJP-Shiv Sena crossing 50-mark.