The 13th Lok Sabha elections to be held in the month of August-September will require an additional Rs 50 lakh worth indelible ink. The rise follows the enrollment of fresh voters in the list.

However, the Mysore Paints and Varnishes Limited (MPVL), which supplies indelible ink for elections here and abroad, stands to lose if both the Parliamentary and Assembly elections are held simultaneously.

The State Chief Electoral officers of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Pondicherry and other States on the directions have ordered Rs 4 crore worth indelible ink from Mysore Paints and Varnishes Limited. The demand for the previous LS polls was Rs 3.5 crore.

The MPVL, which had supplied 17 lakh bottles containing 5 ml and 7.5 ml indelible ink in last election will now supply 20 lakh bottles to meet the demand of the states.

According tosources, MPVL, which has started production of indelible ink, has ordered for more raw material as the requirement has shot up this time round. MPVL also supplies the ink for South Africa, the elections of which were recently held, and other countries where the elections are slated at the same time.

Sources revealed that the ink will be supplied in batches giving priority to states like Jammu and Kashmir, North-East besides other northern states.The MPVL, which had supplied indelible ink to Nigeria, Turkey and South Africa, has increased production to meet the demands of the nine states which would be going for polls in December.

The public sector company, which is running under profit following frequent elections both in India and other countries, has come out with a new formula of indelible ink called `Green Ink' and also got the approval of the Centre to export.

Following the forthcoming Assembly election and polls to the local bodies, the authorities have sought the permission of the Centre andElection Commission to use green ink in elections in India as it is accepted by all the other countries.

The authorities opine that the requirement of ink by the Election Commission may further increase if the polling percentage increases. ``It will be a loss to the MPVL, if the Election Commission in the interest of country holds both Parliament and Assembly simultaneously, but, the orders from countries like Turkey and other European countries and paints supplied to various States have helped to rake up profit in last two years,'' said Krishna, Chairman, MPVL.

He said that the MPVL has complained to Chief Minister J H Patel about the non-cooperation of the Embassy in Indonesia due to which the company had to lose Rs 6 crore worth indelible ink to be supplied to elections in Indonesia by the only indelible ink manufacturing company in the country. Krishna said that he had also urged the Chief Minister to apprise the Embassy authorities and correspond with the Ministry of External Affairs.