How much indelible ink will it take to hold Lok Sabha polls? Here are the numbers

As more than 900 million voters prepare to participate in the high-voltage 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the onus to protect the integrity of elections is on a single product, the indelible purple ink.

Developed by the Council of Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory in Delhi and manufactured exclusively by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited (MPVL), this ink is applied to voters’ left forefingers as proof that they have voted, as well as to combat impersonation.

This year, MPVL will provide 26 lakh vials of indelible ink.

Around 26.55 lakh vials of ink

The Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd has completed a supply of over 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink worth approximately Rs 55 crore to various states and Union territories for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with the biggest share going to Uttar Pradesh.

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The Karnataka government undertaking has been manufacturing the ink since 1962, solely for the Election Commission.

The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will kick off on 19 April with the counting of votes set to take place on 4 June. Assembly elections will be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

As against the previous Parliamentary elections, there has been an increase of 2.2 per cent in the supply of indelible ink this time.

Highest order for Uttar Pradesh

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The company said it had supplied over 25.98 lakh vials of indelible ink worth approximately Rs 36 crore for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to various states and union territories. The highest supply as per order was to Uttar Pradesh, which received 3.64 lakh vials back then and the lowest for Lakshadweep at 125 vials of ink.

According to the Election Commission, as of January, India has a voter base of nearly 97 crore out of which a maximum of over 15.30 crore are in Uttar Pradesh and a minimum of 57,500 in Lakshadweep.

“As on today, 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink have been dispatched to all the states and union territories. The highest order was from Uttar Pradesh and as per demand, 3.58 lakh vials of ink has been supplied to UP while Lakshadweep with the lowest demand has been supplied with 110 vials of ink, the company’s Managing Director K Mohammed Irfan told PTI.

According to the data shared by the company, Maharashtra has been supplied with 2.68 lakh vials, West Bengal two lakh vials, Bihar 1.93 lakh vials, Tamil Nadu 1.75 lakh vials, Telangana 1.50 lakh vials, Madhya Pradesh 1.52 lakh vials, Karnataka 1.32 lakh vials, Rajasthan 1.30 lakh, Andhra Pradesh 1.16 lakh vials, Gujarat 1.13 lakh vials, Kerala 63,000 vials, Punjab 55,000 vials, Haryana 42,000 vials, Delhi 35,000 vials, Jammu and Kashmir 30,000 vials.

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

A 10 ml vial of ink can be used to mark the fingers of around 700 people. A polling station has around 1,500 voters.

For voters in other countries

According to EC, over 12 lakh polling stations would be set up across the country for the polls.

Irfan said the indelible ink is exported to more than 25 countries, including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa and the Maldives.

However, as different countries follow different modes for applying the ink, the company supplies the ink as per customer specifications.

In Cambodia and the Maldives, for example, voters need to dip his/her finger into the ink, while in Burkina Faso it is applied with a brush; nozzles are used for its use in Turkey.

With inputs from PTI