Pune: At least 75,000 bottles of indelible ink (10ml each) are expected to reach the State Election Commission (SEC) by Monday, ahead of the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections scheduled for Feb 7, election officials told TOI on Saturday. SEC placed the order with Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, an ECI-approved supplier for Lok Sabha and assembly polls, after concerns were raised over the use of marker pens in the Jan 15 municipal corporation elections. The indelible ink — which contains 10-18% silver nitrate — dries in under 40 seconds, leaving a dark mark that remains resistant to soap, liquids and common cleaning agents for more than 72 hours.“We need two bottles for each polling booth and the remaining stock will serve as a backup, which will be adequate,” an election official said. The 75,000 bottles would cater to 25,000 polling booths across 12 zilla parishads and 125 panchayat samitis.SEC decided to revert to bottled ink after reports on social media claimed that the marker pens used during the municipal polls produced marks that could be erased. “This is simply a precautionary step to avoid any issues,” the official said. The commission also said marker pens used since 2011 contained authentic indelible ink and that fading concerns emerged only during the recent civic elections. SEC further warned that attempting to tamper with the ink mark was a cognisable criminal offence.In preparation for Feb 7 elections, election officials have readied 27,000 control units (CUs) and 75,000 ballot units (BUs). Polling will take place across five districts in the Pune division — Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur —with districts in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division and Raigad. Counting will be held on Feb 9, and the Supreme Court has directed that all local body elections be completed by Feb 15.Samples sent for testingSEC officials said ink samples from five municipal corporations were sent to govt-approved laboratories following complaints during the municipal elections. “We have sent adequate samples, and we are now awaiting the final report,” an official said.The laboratories would examine the ink for indelibility, resistance to removal and compliance with established standards. “The reports are still pending, as the samples have been submitted to the labs,” the official added.No excuse for staff; 1.25 lakh manpower requiredAt least 1.25 lakh personnel are required to manage nearly 25,000 polling booths, and SEC officials have clarified that only legitimate exemption requests would be approved. While some teachers have sought relief citing ongoing examinations, only cases that are verified and meet eligibility criteria will be considered. Election duty remains mandatory, and replacements will be permitted strictly on authentic and validated grounds.
