Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided around 86,000 bottles of indelible ink – also termed as ‘electoral stain’ – worth nearly Rs 1.41 crore to poll-bound Chhattisgarh. Voting to the 90-member Chhattisgarh legislative assembly will be held in two phases - on November 7 and 17 respectively. Around 860 litres of ink would be brought in use for the polls. Each bottle of semi-permanent ink or dye is called a ‘phial’. The consignment of phial was received by Chhattisgarh around 3 months ago while its order was placed nearly a year ago based on headcount of 24109 polling booths spread across the state. So much so that Chhattisgarh through the same order has also secured the stock of indelible ink for Lok Sabha polls slated to take place in April next year. The ink is used to put on the finger of every voter to prevent bogus voting. The ink is prepared using silver nitrate and other chemicals and it lasts for a long time on human fingers.

 

“There are 24,109 polling booths in the state. Two bottles of ink will be supplied for each booth. One additional bottle of ink is provided for each booth. Each vial contains 10 ML of ink and can be used on 700 to 800 voters. The second polling officer smears the ink on voters’ left index finger at the booth. be used on 700 to 800 voters. The second polling officer smears the ink on voters’ left index finger at the booth. The ink dries within a few seconds and remains on the finger for a few days.” According to Jt CEO Kshirsagar, the cost of delivering indelible ink to plain and peaceful areas is very nominal, but it multiplies to manifolds when it comes to delivery of the phials to inaccessible and disturbed areas. “Such areas, which are basically hostile and inhospitable to reach by conventional road route, air dropping of vials through choppers remains the only option, which gradually escalates the cost and sometimes it goes up in crores,” he maintained. To a query, Kshirsagar informed that the indelible ink to Chhattisgarh has been supplied by Election Commission of India (ECI) through the Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited (MPVL) in Bengaluru, which is owned by Karnataka government. “It is the only company in India that is permitted to manufacture indelible ink, which is also called the ‘ink of democracy’ and it supplies to ECI for every poll,” he added. Meanwhile, knowledgeable sources in the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Chhattisgarh, affirmed that the rate at which the ink is supplied is also negotiated before every election order.

 

The rate was Rs 126 per 10 ml bottle in 2017 which was revised to Rs 160 per 10 ml bottle in 2021 and presently, each vial of 10 ml is priced around Rs 164. Sources also affirmed that it takes at least a month for preparing and dispatching the inks. Around 100 workers are engaged in an eight hour shift by the company to make 25,000 bottles of 10 ml indelible ink. Actually, the time consuming production of ink is being attributed to the sourcing of the raw material while putting the assembly line in the semi-automatic plant also takes time.