The counting of votes for the high stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections has transformed into a national political flashpoint. On Friday January 16 2026 as early trends began to trickle in from across Mumbai Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to social media to launch a blistering attack on the Election Commission. Accusing the poll body of 'gaslighting citizens' Gandhi claimed that the integrity of the democratic process had been compromised. His remarks came in the wake of a viral controversy involving the use of marker pens instead of the traditional indelible ink to mark voters' fingers a move that has sparked widespread allegations of 'Vote Chori' or vote theft.The Spark: Marker Pens and Vanishing InkThe controversy
