Overview
- State election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare ordered an inquiry and random testing of marker pens after complaints that finger marks faded in municipal polling.
- The commission said markers have been used in local elections since 2011, identified Kores (India) Ltd as a supplier, and warned that erasing marks or attempting a second vote would trigger legal action.
- Officials maintained that electoral rolls are marked after each vote, preventing repeat voting even if a mark is removed, and asserted the ink meets specifications and dries within seconds.
- Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of “gaslighting citizens,” as Uddhav and Raj Thackeray alleged the practice enabled bogus voting while Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the claims.
- Separately, officials acknowledged malfunctions in about 2% of EVMs in districts including Dhule, Jalgaon, Pune and Amravati, and Mumbai’s turnout was 52.94% in the BMC polls.