BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla dismissed allegations from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding the Election Commission's use of indelible ink in municipal polls [1, 2].
The dispute centers on the integrity of the voting process in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls in Maharashtra. If the ink used to prevent double-voting is easily removable, it could potentially undermine the security of the electoral process.
Rahul Gandhi said the poll body is "gas-lighting citizens by using ‘indelible’ ink that can be washed off" [2]. His comments suggest that the Election Commission failed to provide a permanent marker for voters, which is a standard requirement to ensure each citizen votes only once.
Shehzad Poonawalla responded to these claims in a broadcast from New Delhi. Poonawalla said Rahul Gandhi’s allegation is "baseless and an attempt to politicise the Election Commission’s functioning" [1].
The clash between the two political figures occurred in early May 2024. An India Today video detailing the BJP's response was uploaded on May 7, 2024 [1], while reports on Gandhi's specific criticisms of the BMC polls were published by NDTV on May 8, 2024 [2].
While some reports describe the BJP's response as a general rebuttal of election allegations, other accounts indicate Poonawalla specifically addressed the ink issue in Maharashtra [1, 2]. The BJP continues to maintain that the Election Commission operates with impartiality, and that the claims made by the Congress leader lack factual support [1].
“"The poll body is gas‑lighting citizens by using ‘indelible’ ink that can be washed off."”
This confrontation reflects the deep systemic distrust between India's primary political parties regarding the neutrality of the Election Commission. By questioning the physical tools of the election—such as indelible ink—the opposition is attempting to highlight potential vulnerabilities in the voting process, while the ruling party seeks to frame such claims as attempts to delegitimize democratic institutions.
