Mysore Paints Supplies Over 26 Lakh Vials of Indelible Ink for Lok Sabha Elections

With the largest portion going to Uttar Pradesh, the Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd has finished supplying around 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink, valued at almost Rs 55 crore, to various states and union territories for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Since 1962, the Karnataka government project has been producing the ink exclusively for the Election Commission.

The Lok Sabha elections, which consist of seven phases, will begin on April 19 and the vote counting is scheduled for June 4. There will be simultaneous assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the corporation, it supplied several states and union territories with about 25.98 lakh vials of indelible ink valued at roughly Rs 36 crore for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. According to the directive, Uttar Pradesh received the largest quantity (3.64 lakh vials) and Lakshadweep received the lowest amount (125 vials) of ink.

This time around, the supply of permanent ink has increased by 2.2% over the previous Parliamentary elections.

The Election Commission states that as of January, there were around 97 crore voters in India, with a minimum of 57,500 in Lakshadweep and a maximum of over 15.30 crore in Uttar Pradesh.

"As of right now, every state and union territory has received 26.55 lakh vials of permanent ink. According to demand, 3.58 lakh vials of ink were provided to Uttar Pradesh, which placed the largest order, while 110 vials were supplied to Lakshadweep, which had the lowest demand, according to the company's managing director, K Mohammed Irfan, who spoke to PTI.

To avoid multiple voting, the ink, which leaves a deep purple mark on the voter's left forefinger, is applied as evidence that the voter has cast a ballot.

Maharashtra has received 2.68 lakh vials, West Bengal has received 2 lakh vials, Bihar has received 1.93 lakh vials, Tamil Nadu has received 1.75 lakh vials, Telangana has received 1.50 lakh vials, Madhya Pradesh has received 1.52 lakh vials, Karnataka has received 1.32 lakh vials, Rajasthan has received 1.30 lakh, Andhra Pradesh has received 1.16 lakh vials, Gujarat has received 1.13 lakh vials, Kerala has received 63,000 vials, Punjab has received 55,000 vials, Haryana has received 42,000 vials, Delhi has received 35,000 vials, and Jammu Kashmir has received 30,000 vials.

Similarly, among other states and union territories, Jharkhand received 75,380 vials, Himachal Pradesh received 22,000 vials, Manipur received 8,000 vials, Chandigarh received 1,500 vials, and Goa received 5,000 vials.

About 700 people's fingers can be inked using a 10 ml vial of ink. A polling place typically holds 1,500 voters.

Over 12 lakh voting places would be set up nationwide for the elections, according to the EC.

More than 25 nations, including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa, and the Maldives, are among those to whom Irfan said that the indelible ink is exported.

However, the corporation supplies the ink in accordance with customer demands because different countries have varied practices for applying the ink.

For instance, voters must dip their finger into the ink in Cambodia and the Maldives, apply it with a brush in Burkina Faso, and utilize nozzles in Turkey.

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