BMC Polls Ink Row: Rahul Gandhi speaks on the ink controversy in Mumbai: The Election Commission is misleading the public, stealing votes is anti-national.

On one hand, initial trends in the counting of votes for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the BMC, show the BJP gaining a significant lead. On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of misleading the public. He stated that the Election Commission is deceiving the people.

In a post on the social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi shared screenshots of some newspaper articles. These articles highlighted the issue of the ink applied to voters' fingers after casting their votes during the municipal corporation elections on Thursday, which was allegedly easily removable.

Decline in Trust in Democracy - Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi termed this a decline in trust in democracy. He also said that the Election Commission misleading the public is a reason for the lack of trust in our democracy. He emphasized that vote theft is an anti-national act.

What is the whole matter?

It is worth noting that after the voting for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Thursday, claims and viral videos of the ink on voters' fingers being easily removable have sparked a new controversy. The politics of accusations and counter-accusations intensified, and the Election Commission also issued a clarification. Initially, State Minister and Shinde faction Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat claimed on Thursday that the ink was easily removable, raising concerns about the possibility of fraudulent voting.

Following this, the Maharashtra State Election Commission clarified that attempting to remove the indelible ink applied to a voter's finger or creating confusion during polling would be considered an electoral malpractice. The State Election Commission has clearly warned voters and all parties that violating the rules is a serious offense and that re-voting will not be permitted under any circumstances.