Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the Election Commission was “gaslighting citizens”, highlighting a controversy over the alleged use of erasable ink during Maharashtra’s local body elections. Sharing a newspaper report on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, the Congress leader wrote: “Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy. Rahul Gandhi’s comment came amid mounting allegations from opposition parties and voters that marker pens, rather than standard indelible ink, were used to mark voters’ fingers in parts of Maharashtra. Before ordering the formal inquiry, the Maharashtra SEC issued a clarification and warned that attempts to remove indelible ink applied to voters’ fingers are illegal. “Attempts to remove the indelible ink applied on voters’ fingers at polling stations and thereby create confusion in the voting process are illegal.

Source: The Telegraph January 16, 2026 06:38 UTC