BMC elections: Suspend poll chief, demands Opposition; CM dubs it 'blame game'

MUMBAI: While the overall polling percentage in the state and the turnout in Mumbai was seen to be respectable, voting could have been even higher if a section of voters had not had problems locating their polling booths.However, it was the use of marker pens instead of indelible ink to identify those who had voted that became the main controversy. The Opposition accused the SEC of colluding with the Mahayuti alliance and claimed that the pen mark could be easily erased, paving the way for bogus voting.MNS chief Raj Thackeray said, "Till now ink was used. This time they used new marker pens. We are getting complaints from all over that the ink on the marker pen is being removed using a sanitiser.

The entire administration is working for the ruling parties."SS UBT chief demanded the suspension of State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare and action against both him and BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani for irregularities in the polling process. "Not only is the ink being wiped off, but democracy is also being wiped off," he alleged.Fadnavis claimed the Opposition was looking for something to blame for their imminent electoral loss.

"The election commission has used marker pens several times in the past. I feel some people are preparing to blame something for the result tomorrow," he said.

Except for one case of bogus voting being detected (and one in Jalgaon), polling was seen to be largely peaceful on Thursday.The SEC clarified that marker pens used the same indelible ink and were being used in local body polls in the state since 2011. Also, the SEC pointed out that those who tried to wipe off the ink and vote again would face legal action. On the issue of polling booth confusion, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said, "Since civic polls have not been held since 2017, voters got confused and looked at their assembly booths. Also, they checked their booths on the ECI website instead of the BMC site."