What does Mysuru have to do with the general elections in which close to 90 crore people will cast their vote? In a way, everything.
The indelible ink that is applied on the finger of voters is exclusively produced in Mysuru.
The city-based Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited (MPVL), which has been playing an indelible role in the largest democratic exercise since decades, has received a ‘jumbo’ ink order from the Election Commission of India.
According to company sources, the EC gave an order for 26 lakh vials of ink, which is said to be the highest-ever order the company got since its inception. The order is worth around ₹33 crore.
The workers of the company located in the heart of Mysuru have been working since December almost in double shifts to meet the order. So far, 20 lakh vials of ink (each vial contains 10 ml of purple ink) has been produced and dispatched to many States on the EC’s directive.
A 10-ml vial can be applied on the fingers of 700 voters, according to the company.
Order has gone up
MPVL general manager C. Harakumar, who is overseeing the production, told The Hindu that the EC’s ink order had gone up by four lakh vials compared to the 2014 election. “We had supplied 22 lakh vials in the previous Lok Sabha polls. So far, this is the biggest order we have got from the EC,” he said.
For Karnataka alone, which is going to the polls on April 18 and 23, the ink requirement is around 1.32 lakh vials. The company is hoping to meet the EC’s order in about two weeks as the production for the remaining six lakh vials is on at a brisk pace.
Sole supplier
MPVL is a government of Karnataka undertaking company and is the sole supplier of indelible ink for the country’s elections since decades. The company has supplied ink for Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections since 1962.
MPVL was founded by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the former Maharaja of Mysuru, in 1937.
The ink production began in the 1960s based on a special chemical combination formulated by the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi. MPVL recently registered with United Nations Development Programme and supplies ink for elections in foreign countries.
