No extra security for voters' ink unit

The Mysore-headquartered Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd (Mylac), a state undertaking, which manufactures indelible ink applied on a voter’s finger, lacks the extra security that would have been expected during the polls.

This came to light after a serious allegation by Congress candidate and former Minister H Viswanath yesterday that BJP leaders were attempting to lure voters by paying money in the traditionally pro-Congress slums and areas of poorer sections by marking their finger with the voter’s ink.

Viswanath had charged Mylac chairman M V Ravishankar and IT-BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, presently campaigning for their party in Mysore. The state BJP Government appointed BJP local leader Ravishankar Mylac Chairman recently. Both the leaders however strongly denied the Congress leader’s allegation at a press conference today.

Accusing Ravishankar and Naidu of hatching a plan to check Congress votes in the Lok Sabha polls on April 30, Viswanath had charged them of attempting to buy votes offering Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 to the poor and the dalits on the eve of polling.

“They are destroying the very voting rights of the poor and the roots of democracy,” he had said and alleged people of Gandhi Nagar in Mysore reported such attempts, when he went there on Monday morning. The former Minister had urged the Election Commission (EC) to ensure a free and fair election by constituting a special vigilance cell to check the BJP attempts.

Describing Viswanath’s charge as “baseless and irresponsible”, Naidu challenged the Congress leader to prove his charge. “If he proves his charge I would quit politics. If not, Viswanath should quit,” he said adding the Congress candidate was making such false and misleading statements frusted over his fate.

Ravishankar too strongly refuted the allegation. He said the management had its own foolproof system to prevent the misuse of indelible ink. Its production and sale was entered in logbook. He, however, admitted no additional security measures were taken at the time of elections. Former minister G T Deve Gowda also criticised Viswanath’s allegation.

Speaking to Business Standard, general manager (technical) Lakshminarayan said Mylac did not produce even a bottle extra than the order placed by the EC. The production done under close circuit monitoring was verified at all points and the workers were physically checked twice, while manufacturing and leaving the premises.

The formula was secretly guarded and even the employees, who numbered 79, were not aware of it. “There is no chance of misuse,” he said.

However, the GM too admitted that no special security was arranged at the time of elections either by the EC or the management. “There is no need for it also,” he said.

Lakshminarayan said Mylac had supplied 1,931,870 vials of voters’ ink to the EC and received acknowledgement also. “We have not manufactured even one extra vial than this,” he reiterated.

He also admitted that district returning officer Manivannan had sought a report from them after Viswanath’s allegation.

Mylac is the only authorised supplier of voters’ ink to the EC, though there are about dozen other private ink manufacturers in the country.