By L A Adithya
A line of controversy has erupted amidst the ongoing Maharashtra Municipal Corporation elections about marker pens being used instead of traditional indelible ink for markings, particularly at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with accusations coming in from opposition leaders that the markings could be removed easily with sanitizers and nail polish removers. This instilled a fear of malpractice and manipulation among voters and politicians, which made way for leaders from the opposition to get vocal on this issue.
Raj Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), has gone vehemently vocal on this issue, raising concerns about the fairness of the whole process. He questioned the use of the Printing Auxiliary Display Unit (PADU), alleging that the whole administration is entirely run by the government.
On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party has also joined in to criticize the government on this issue. Ruben Mascarenhas, The AAP’s Mumbai president, calling the polls a ‘farce’, took to X and shared a video showing how the markings can be wiped off with ease using nail polish remover.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis acknowledged the issue raised and asked the Election Commission to look into the matter promptly, while also taking a dig at the opposition leaders that they shouldn’t “create a ruckus on everything.”