Ink used for Maharashtra civic polls easy to wipe off, claims Oppn; SEC to conduct probe
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday evening said it would conduct a thorough probe into the quality of the `indelible' ink in marker pens used for the civic polls, after opposition leaders alleged that the mark on a voter's finger could be removed easily, enabling bogus voting.
Amid polling for 29 municipal corporations including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), social media was flooded with videos claiming to demonstrate how the ink could be removed using chemicals such as acetone, even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the claims.
Speaking to PTI, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that in view of the controversy, the SEC will not use marker pens for the coming Zilla Parishad elections but revert to the traditional ink -- produced by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, a company of the Karnataka government -- used in assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
"The SEC has decided to conduct a probe.....it will cover not only the ink quality but also the videos which were circulated throughout the day. The probe into videos is to ascertain whether the ink was applied on the finger while voting or in a mischievous way," Waghmare said.
"We will do a random sampling of marker pens used today across the state and verify the quality of the ink supplied to us. The formula for the quality of the ink is finalised by the Election commission of India and a private company supplied the pens to the SEC," the state election commissioner said. "We have been using these pens since 2011 for all local body elections," he added.
Another SEC official said that Kores (India) Ltd had supplied the marker pens, and those were as per the commission's specifications. Three marker pens were provided for each polling booth, he added.
Earlier, following the allegations that the indelible ink applied to voters' fingers came off easily, SEC officials held a press conference.
"The ink takes about 10 to 12 seconds to dry after being applied. During this time the voter is still inside the polling booth. Once it dries, it cannot be removed. This is the same ink used by the Election Commission of India. If double voting takes place, action will be taken against the presiding officer of the polling booth," Waghmare said during the press conference.
Another SEC official said, "Compared to ink, using marker pen is easier and efficient. It was the sole reason behind SEC shifting from ink to marker pen. But after this controversy, we decided to use ink instead of marker pen."
Waghmare also claimed that a fake narrative was being spread, and voters were not supposed to rub off the ink before it dried. "If ink is removed before it dries, it is a voter's fault. A criminal case can also be registered against such voters," he added.
Videos circulating on social media would be investigated and action would be taken against anyone spreading misinformation, said Waghmare, while also blaming voters for confusion over polling booth locations, stating that they should have checked their booth details and names in advance.
Earlier, Mumbai Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Varsha Gaikwad posted a video of her party colleague using acetone to wipe off the ink from his finger.
“BMC wiping off accountability? Since morning we have been receiving several reports of how the marker ink is being wiped off easily. My colleague and his wife here demonstrate how this ink can be easily removed with acetone or nail polish remover,” she posted on X.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray also raised the issue after casting his vote in Dadar.
"People come out, wipe the ink, and go back inside to vote again. Then they come out, wipe it again and re-enter. Is this what the government calls development?" he said.
The ink mark could be wiped off with a hand sanitiser, Thackeray said, alleging that "the entire system is working to ensure the victory of those in power...this is not how free and fair elections are conducted."
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he too received reports of ink being washed away. "This is shocking," the former chief minister said, accusing SEC Waghmare of siding with the ruling BJP-led alliance and demanding his suspension.
Maharashtra Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar made the same allegation. Notably, state minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat too endorsed the claim about the ink coming off fingers easily.
The SEC, however, claimed that even if someone tried to vote again by removing the ink mark, it was not possible as other safeguards were in place.
"After a voter casts their vote, an official record of the voting is maintained. Therefore, merely wiping off the ink does not make it possible for a voter to cast a vote again," it said in the statement.
Following orders issued on November 19, 2011, and November 28, 2011, marker pens have been used to apply ink on voters' fingers during local body elections. As per these orders, the ink must be applied clearly using a marker pen, and it should be rubbed three to four times on the nail and the skin above the nail, the SEC said.
Chief Minister Fadnavis dismissed the allegations. "The Opposition is looking for excuses in advance," he said after casting his vote in Nagpur.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he spoke to SEC official Suresh Kakani. "He said the same ink has been used for the past several years. Now, instead of directly from bottle, they are using it from marker pens. I think the SEC is vigilant to avoid bogus voting," he added.
BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde said, " If there is problem with the ink, concerned poll official should be held responsible. It was unfair to hold BJP responsible for the same."
State Women Commission chairperson and NCP leader Rupali Chakankar wrote to the SEC, demanding a probe into cases of ink removal and bogus voting.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
