Maharashtra Civic Body Elections 2026: MNS alleges foul play over indelible ink, BJP refutes

Mumbai: A controversy has erupted over the ink used in the elections for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of Mumbai. In Mumbai, MNS president Raj Thackeray alleged that the Election Commission has replaced the indelible ink used after voting with a pen.

What are Raj Thackeray’s claims?

Raj Thackeray said there are complaints about this new pen. He claimed that if on application of hand sanitizer, the ink disappears.

“Now, the only option left is to apply the ink, go outside, wipe it off, and then go back inside and vote again. A new rule has been implemented for election campaigning. This shows that the government can do anything to stay in power,” the MNS chief told the media.

“When someone comes to power through such fraudulent methods, we don't call it an election. I appeal to the people, Shiv Sena workers, and Matoshree Sena workers to be vigilant about all these things. One person was caught voting twice,” Raj Thackeray added. 

How has the Maharashtra government reacted to Raj Thackeray’s allegations?

Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis dismissed Raj Thackeray's allegations. While addressing the media in Nagpur, he staged a demonstration by attempting to wipe the ink off his finger. 

“It is not right to make such baseless allegations,” Fadnavis said.

How are people reacting to the ink controversy?

A major controversy is raging over the ink used to mark voters on their index finger after exercising their franchise. In Pune, Rohit Pawar, a leader and MLA of the NCP led by Sharad Pawar, also made similar allegations. Pawar shared a video in which he claimed that the ink could be easily removed. 

A media report claimed that NCP workers in Pune found bottles of cleaning solution at a BJP office. These were allegedly being used to remove the ink mark from the fingers of voters who had already cast their votes, so that they could vote again. NCP workers entered the BJP office and seized the bottles. A similar allegation was also made by Rupali Chakankar, a leader of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar. She is also the chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women. 

While a controversy has erupted in Maharashtra over the use of pens instead of ink during voting for local body elections, the issue has also resonated on social media. Dr. Abhinav Wagh posted a photo after casting his vote, showing that the ink on his finger had disappeared. The results of the BMC and 28 other municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra will be announced on January 16. A total of 15,391 candidates are in the fray for 2,869 seats across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra.