Maharashtra civic polls: Thackeray flags erasable electoral ink; probe ordered
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray accused the state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare of “openly siding” with the ruling BJP-led alliance.
The State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday ordered a probe into complaints of erasable electoral ink being used during the civic polls in Maharashtra and warned of action against those “creating confusion” after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray flagged the issue.
Thackeray accused the state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare of “openly siding” with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance and demanded his suspension.
Waghmare announced the inquiry into the complaints of erasable electoral ink and said that claims about acetone or nail polish being able to remove it are false. He warned that anyone attempting to remove the ink or spread confusion among voters would face legal action.
The State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday ordered a probe into complaints of erasable electoral ink being used during the civic polls in Maharashtra and warned of action against those “creating confusion” after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray flagged the issue.
Thackeray accused the state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare of “openly siding” with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance and demanded his suspension.
Waghmare announced the inquiry into the complaints of erasable electoral ink and said that claims about acetone or nail polish being able to remove it are false. He warned that anyone attempting to remove the ink or spread confusion among voters would face legal action.
“The indelible ink used in the markers applied to voters’ fingers has been in use since 2011. The markers are manufactured by the same company and use the same ink composition. The ink takes 10 to 12 seconds to dry after application, and once it dries, it cannot be wiped off.”
He said circulating videos on social media regarding the ink to create confusion among voters is unacceptable and may invite legal action. Waghmare cited complaints of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines and added that they pertained to about two per cent of them. He added that the machines are old and the SEC has not purchased new machines in the last 10 years.
Waghmare accused the opposition of targeting them through a false narrative. “The SEC cannot be held responsible for everything. Some responsibility also lies with voters, candidates, and political parties,” he said.
The comments came after Thackeray hit out at Waghmare and demanded an audit of the work of his staff and representatives of political parties. “How can the ink be erased,’’ he asked, referring to the electoral ink, a semi-permanent one applied to the fingers of voters to prevent electoral fraud. He said the ruling alliance wants power at all costs. “We are again seeing cases of voters’ names being entered twice on voter rolls.”
He accused chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and “his men” of using these tactics as they feared defeat. “How does the BJP have so much money to distribute? Voters are smart, and they will choose the right candidate.’’
