Indelible Ink: The Pride Of An Indian Voter 

The first phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 commenced on Friday April 19 2024. You must have seen almost everyone near you proudly flaunting their voter symbol- the purple-black election ink mark on their left hand’s index finger. In fact, my 87 year old grandmother who never misses her morning prayer sessions, was the first one to get ready for the voting!

I remember, when I first voted, how excited I was to get the purple ink mark on my finger! It was a testimony to my democratic right, my adulthood and that my vote mattered! But soon after, I wondered what is its composition that it stayed even longer than my wedding henna! 

Indelible Ink Composition: What Is It Made Up Of

Indelible ink has silver nitrate as the main component. Chemically, silver nitrate is a colorless compound. When this ink mark is exposed to sunlight, it becomes visible and starts to darken more. 

If the ink contains a high amount of silver nitrate composition, such as 20-25 percent, the ink will be thicker and will leave a very dark stain, almost impossible to remove by hand wash or even soap. 

This election ink solution also has a percentage of alcohol which makes it dry very fast. For safety and quality control, the exact composition of silver nitrate and alcohol remains sacrosanct to the permitted manufacturers.  

Who Makes Indelible Ink In India

Indelible Ink is known by other names also, such as election ink, voter’s mark, electoral ink. But, for me it stands as the prime mark of democracy! It is not a common purple ink. It is also specially formulated ink that is almost impossbile to remove and ensures no one can vote multiple times!

Initially, CSIR ( Council Of Scientific and Industrial Research) made Indelible Ink upon requests by the Election Commission of India. This responsibility was later shouldered by NRDC ( National Research Development Corporation), Delhi. 

Fast forward today, only Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited Company has the license to manufacture indelible ink for the Indian elections. They have been doing it since 1962 and are the only legitimate government authorized election ink manufacturers and sellers. 

Final Words 

Indelible Ink mark seems impossible to remove at first but it is not permanent and fades away with time. Do not use bleach, or other chemicals to forcibly remove the mark, it might irritate the skin.

Wear your indelible ink mark with pride! After all, each vote matters and these indelible ink marks connect the dots of India’s electoral future! Jai Hind!