The Hindustan Times article accurately reports the political exchange following the Maharashtra civic polls, which were held on January 15, 2026. A significant controversy arose regarding the quality of the 'indelible' ink used, with many voters and opposition leaders alleging that the marker pens provided could be easily wiped off, raising concerns about potential bogus voting. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vehemently criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI) amid these concerns, asserting that 'vote chori is an anti-national act' and accusing the ECI of 'gaslighting' citizens, thereby eroding public trust in democracy. His statements were made as vote counting was underway on January 16, 2026, and the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance was set for a major victory across the 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In a swift and sharp rebuttal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) countered Rahul Gandhi's allegations. The BJP's official X (formerly Twitter) handle deployed a 'khandani chor' (hereditary thief) barb, a historical political attack often aimed at the Gandhi family. Additionally, the BJP used a viral meme featuring actor Varun Dhawan's 'one-sided smile,' morphing it to include a caption that read, 'परम्परा. प्रतिष्ठा. अनुशासन' (Legacy, prestige, discipline), along with the message 'Mummy me phirse election haar gaya' (Mother, I lost again). This was a clear dig at Congress's repeated electoral defeats and Gandhi's claims of electoral malpractice. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla further lambasted Gandhi, accusing him of discrediting the electoral process to deflect from an anticipated loss. The Maharashtra State Election Commission acknowledged the controversy, stating it would conduct a thorough probe into the ink quality and the viral videos demonstrating its removability. The SEC also announced that it would revert to using traditional indelible ink for the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections instead of marker pens.