Voters, Opposition allege ink wiped-off after voting

Several voters on Thursday reported that they were caught off guard when their fingers were inked with a permanent marker after voting instead of the usual traditional indelible ink used in case of general elections across India Voters pointed out that there was no awareness about the change in use of inkSunil Warrier a resident of Andheri told midday ldquoI was surprised to see that my finger was inked with a marker pen instead of the indelible ink used in all elections I was not aware of this as there was no statement in the public domain from the Election Commission or any awareness campaign on any medium However the ink is not removable with soap or hand sanitiserrdquoHowever in some cases voters claimed that the ink was wiped off immediately Suchita Patil a resident of Prabhadevi said ldquoI started doing housework immediately after voting and the ink was wiped off due to dish soap This is the first time that a marker pen was used I have never had this experience beforerdquoSome also claimed that the ink was also removable using acetone which is commonly found in nail polish removers Another voter from Prabhadevi who did not wish to be named said ldquoMy spouse used a nail polish remover to test if the ink was removable and it came off immediatelyrdquoPolitical backlashRaising the issue Shiv Sena UBT leader Sainath Durge alleged on social media that the ink was wearing off using Dettol In a video he posted on social media Durge held up his finger and showed that the blue ink mark was completely removedShiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray said ldquoThe administration needs to be responsible and answerable to the people for thisrdquo Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleged ldquoThe ink can be removed using sanitiser The entire administration is working for the ruling partyrdquoIn response to allegations from the opposition Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said ldquoMy finger has also been inked with a marker pen Is this getting erased If there are concerns the Election Commission may inspect the issuerdquoHe added ldquoThe opposition constantly raises issues on every small thing and repeatedly questions the integrity of institutions that are integral to our democracy Questions need to be raised on why they are doing thisrdquoAuthorities speakSpeaking to midday a senior official of the Election Commission said that the ink on the finger of a voter is not the only identification or proof that he has voted The official said ldquoIt is not possible to wipe the ink off the finger Every booth carries a marked copy of the electoral roll where names of voters are marked after they are done voting This is undeniable proof so no one can go vote againrdquoldquoThe order to use marker pens was issued back in 2011 in an effort to simplify the process It is easier to carry store and use these pens instead of bottled ink which has a high chance of spillage and breakagerdquo said the officialIn a statement the State Election Commission said that trying to create confusion among voters by trying to erase the ink applied on the finger is an offence ldquoIf it is found that a person attempts to vote again after erasing the ink on the finger appropriate legal action will be taken against the personrdquo it saidUse of marker penIn 2011 the State Election Commission in two separate orders mdash November 19 and November 28 mdash issued orders regarding the use of marker pens for inking the fingers of voters Since then marker pens have been used to ink the fingers of voters in local body elections According to this order the ink should be applied with the marker pen in such a way that it is clearly visible on the finger of the voter It should be applied on the nail and above the nail three or four timeslsquoApply with more pressurersquoSpeaking to midday on Thursday evening Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said ldquoWe received few complaints which we enquired about Indelible ink is not used during the municipal elections Markers were used during the last elections too 2017 If someone tries to remove the ink prior to it getting dry or using thinnernail polish remover etc it is observed to get faint We had issued directions to apply it with a little more pressure and to cover more skin part above the nailrdquo