Probably the only time people proudly hold up an ink-stained finger for a selfie is after they cast their vote. The indelible ink used in the election process has lived through several decades and outlived paper ballots, which were replaced by Electronic Voting Machines.
Mysore Paints & Varnish Limited, a private firm in Karnataka, is the only company authorised to produce the ink. The production is based on a chemical formula developed by the National Physical Laboratory under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research.
Although the ink has a rich history, it is also on the verge of facing a major change in the way it is used. “There is a proposal to replace the bottle and brush with marker pens based on some feedback. But, the Election Commission has not taken a call on marker pens so far,” says C. Hara Kumar, General Manager of Mysore Paints & Varnish Limited. However, he maintains that the proposal is “in the pipeline.”
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Besides supplying the ink to every State, the company counts as its clients over 25 countries. And no, the chemical formula cannot be duplicated, as the CSIR, which developed it, has taken patent protection. “We have already sent the allotment for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as per their requirement intimated to us.”