EC issues instructions to make indelible mark prominent enough to prevent it from being erased
Voters of Bandra (East) constituency, which is going for bypoll on April 11, will have more distinct ink mark on their fingers this time compared to the previous poll held in October 2014.
The indelible ink mark on the forefinger signifying casting of vote has gone 'bigger and bolder' as per the directives of the Election Commission of India. The EC has directed chief election officers of all states to ensure that henceforth the mark is prominent enough to prevent it from being erased by impersonators and is visible from a distance.
As per the new directives, ink will have to be applied with a brush instead of a wooden stick and from the tip of the nail till the first joint on one's forefinger. The EC has not only deliberated the process of marking using graphics to make it clear for all polling officials, but it has even specified the make of the brush to be used for the purpose.
Earlier, the only instruction issued to polling officers was that the ink should be applied on the forefinger of the left hand. "The mark now will be one-inch long on the nail and skin of the forefinger and erasing it will not be possible," said a senior EC official of Maharashtra.
The reason for EC's instruction was complaints that minimum application of the ink by polling officers helped impersonators remove it and make an attempt to vote again. Several people in Mewat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls had claimed to have voted but the mark was not visible, leading to re-polling in certain areas.
The EC has asked the polling official in-charge of the control unit of the Electronic Voting Machine to ensure that the ink is intact on the finger of electors before pressing the ballot button.
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