​INSIDE THE KIOSKS​​

Tariq Chaudhry is not a fan of Kenney — but it wasn't always that way. The former president of the Pakistan Canada Association in Edmonton says he was courted by Kenney before he won the leadership race.



Chaudhry worked to get Kenney elected, hosting Eid banquets so Kenney could mix and mingle with his community in Edmonton, signing up members and volunteering at the voting kiosks.

He says part of the reason he soured on Kenney is because he's still owed money for the events and $6,000 in membership fees he bought for others — in violation of party rules. Chaudhry was also told the party would not support him as a candidate in the provincial election after vetting turned up concerns.

Each UCP member could vote online or by phone using a unique PIN that was supposed to be used only by that person. The UCP rules for the vote say: "Contestants, their staff and volunteers may not collect, utilize or deal with an elector's PIN in any fashion. Breach of this rule will result in disciplinary action that may include disqualification of a leadership contestant."



This storefront on Ellerslie Road in southeast Edmonton, now occupied by a restaurant, was used as a voting kiosk by the Kenney campaign. (Drew Anderson/CBC)

This storefront on Ellerslie Road in southeast Edmonton, now occupied by a restaurant, was used as a voting kiosk by the Kenney campaign. (Drew Anderson/CBC)

Chaudhry says his job at the voting kiosks was to phone UCP members in the Pakistani-Canadian community and ask for their PINs — although he claims he didn't manage to get many. He says he would pass the PINs to Tim Uppal, a former Conservative MP who played a key role on Kenney's campaign. Uppal shared the PINs in turn with volunteers who used them to cast votes for Kenney, Chaudhry says.

Uppal, who had previously worked with Kenney on Harper's cabinet, is currently running in this fall's federal election as the Conservative candidate in Edmonton Mill Woods.

Chaudhry points to Uppal as one of the people in charge of the Kenney voting operation, as did another insider whom CBC News has agreed not to identify because he fears repercussions in his tight-knit ethnic and political communities.

"There was two or three guys with a computer. If somebody was getting a PIN, they were giving to one of these guys, or Tim Uppal… then they were voting by themselves," Chaudhry said of the Ellerslie Road location.

Chaudhry says he initially didn't think he was doing anything wrong, simply helping voters who couldn't navigate the online or telephone voting process. He said he put his faith in Uppal, who he thought would know more about what was allowed and what was not.