NEW DELHI Barely two days before the Lok Sabha vote count, a political row erupted Tuesday over reports of alleged tampering of EVMs and a concerned former President Pranab Mukherjee also stepped in to say the onus is on the Election Commission to put all speculation around these voting machines to rest.
Already locked in a battle with the EC over the reliability of the Electronic Voting Machines(EVM), the opposition also got fresh ammunition to press for their demand of increasing the tallying the paper trail of votes (VVPATs) with EVM figures after protests broke out in some parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The protests erupted after videos of alleged movement and tampering of EVMs went viral on social media, a charge dismissed by the EC as “frivolous” and “unfounded”. The EC also said the voting machines used for the seven-phase polls that began on April 11 and ended on May 19 are “absolutely safe” in strongrooms.
Reacting to the protests, the Congress said the EC should take immediate and effective steps to address the complaints of movement of EVMs from strongrooms in various parts of the country.
Amid allegations and complaints that fresh EVMs were being switched with those used in elections ahead of counting of votes on Thursday, the Commission came out with a statement to “emphatically and unambiguously” clarify that all such reports and allegations are “absolutely false, and factually incorrect.”
It said the visuals available on TV and social media “do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls”.
Wading into the controversy over the EVMs, Mukherjee, in a rare intervention after demitting office in 2017, said there can be no room for speculation that challenge the very basis of Indian democracy.
He expressed concern over the alleged tampering of voters’ verdict, saying the onus of ensuring institutional integrity lies with the Election Commission, which should put all speculation to rest.
“I am concerned at reports of alleged tampering of voters’ verdict. The safety and security of EVMs which are in the custody of ECI is the responsibility of the Commission,” Mukherjee, a former Congress stalwart, said in a statement posted on his Twitter handle.
As political parties directed their leaders, candidates and workers to remain extra vigilant in all districts where EVMs have been stored, Mukherjee said people’s mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt.
“The onus of ensuring institutional integrity in this case lies with the Election Commission of India. They must do so and put all speculation to rest,” he said. Mukherjee on Monday had lauded the EC for conducting the Lok Sabha polls “perfectly”.
The BJP on its part condemned the opposition parties for questioning the credibility of the EVMs and asked them to accept their defeat with grace if people vote Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to power again.
Exit polls have projected that the BJP-led NDA will retain power at the Centre,
BJP leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took a swipe at the opposition, saying EVMs were fine when its leaders like Mamata Banerjee, N Chandrababu Naidu, Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal win elections and come to power but they turn unreliable when “it appears that Modi will come back to power”.
Leaders of 22 opposition parties met the Election Commission in Delhi and demanded verification of Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips of randomly-selected polling stations before the counting of the votes.
They also demanded that if any discrepancy is found during VVPAT verification, 100 per cent counting of the paper slips of VVPATs of all polling stations of that particular Assembly segment be done and compared with EVM results.
“We told the EC that the VVPAT machines should be counted first and if there is any discrepancy, then all of them in that segment should be counted,” Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters.
Azad’s party colleague Abhishek Singhvi said despite requests to the EC for months, the poll body has now said it will meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
“We are asking the EC to respect the mandate of people. It cannot be manipulated,” TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said.
BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra alleged “there is large-scale bungling relating to EVMs in Uttar Pradesh. We demand deployment of central forces”.
The opposition parties also raised concerns over the transportation of EVMs ahead of counting of votes and urged the EC to probe the issue.
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, dismissed a PIL seeking 100 per cent matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs during the counting of votes.
As the videos of alleged movement and tampering of EVMs went viral on social media, workers of various parties held protests in Ghazipur, Chandauli and Dumariyaganj, alleging that EVMs were being “moved around” outside strongrooms.
Congress spokesperson Rajeev Shukla said complaints about movement of EVMs are coming from various parts of the country. “In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab — there are complaints of taking out the EVMs from strongrooms from various places. People’s suspicion and anger are increasing,” he said.
The reason that was being given was these were the reserve machines, but even then, the EVMs should be shown to the candidates’ representatives, he added.
UP’s Chief Electoral Officer Venkateshwarlu allayed fears of tampering of EVMs.
“There are CCTV cameras installed in strong rooms. Candidates are allowed to keep a watch on strong rooms through their representatives. All apprehensions are unfounded,” he said.
Modi Hosts Thanksgiving Function
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday equated his campaign for the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls to a pilgrimage, saying it wasn’t just the party but even people fought these elections.
At a meeting at the BJP headquarters in the national capital, Modi thanked his ministers for their work, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters.
“I have seen many elections but this one was beyond politics. The public was fighting them. I have campaigned in assembly elections and undertaken political tours for the party in different elections. When I toured during these polls, it seemed that I was on a pilgrimage,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.
He met union ministers from the BJP as well as allies at the meeting- called ‘Aabhar milan’ (expressing gratitude)- hosted by party president Amit Shah.
Shah also later hosted a dinner for party leaders and allies.
The BJP described the meeting as an occasion to thank ministers for “their service to the nation” ahead of the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha election on May 23, following which a new government will assume charge.
Later in a tweet, Shah said, “I congratulate Team Modi Sarkar for their hard work and remarkable achievements in the last 5 years. Let us keep this momentum going for a New India under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.”
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