Concerned about alleged EVM tampering, says Pranab

A day after praising the Election Commission, former President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday voiced concerns at reports of alleged tampering of voters' verdict and asked to poll authority to put all speculation at rest.

“There can be no room for speculations that challenge the very basis of our democracy. People's mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt,” Mukherjee said in a statement here.

He said as a firm believer in institutions, it was his considered opinion that it was the “workmen” who decide how the institutional “tools” perform.

“The onus of ensuring institutional integrity in this case lies with the Election Commission of India. They must do so and put all speculations to rest,” Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee's remarks come at a time when differences between Election Commissioners have come to the fore in the handling of complaints of violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.

The statement is also significant as a series of video clips have surfaced, which opposition parties say prove that Electronic Voting Machines were being tampered with or being transported in private cars in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

Only on Monday Mukherjee had lauded the role of the Election Commission saying it had conducted the Lok Sabha elections “perfectly”.