delhi

Updated: Jun 01, 2017 10:37 IST

The Aam Aadmi Party accepted on Tuesday the Election Commission’s challenge to hack an electronic voting machine. Earlier in the day, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had conducted an experiment on a dummy EVM to show the machines could be tampered with.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, while demonstrating the experiment, said a dummy EVM could be rigged with a secret code. EC, however, dismissed the AAP demonstration in the house.

On Tuesday, sacked minister Kapil Mishra filed three complaints with the CBI. He had submitted complaint to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) against the CM in connection with an alleged water tanker scam on Monday.

AAP, which has been battling a string of electoral losses, has come under fire from the opposition over the charges. Both the BJP and the Congress had sought the CM’s resignation over Mishra’s allegations.

Here are the highlights:

6.42pm: Kapil Mishra mocks Kejriwal’s claims on EVMS. Tweets with “AK in wonderland” over the tampering drama in House.

6.32pm: Assembly session concludes. Resolution urging the President and Election Commission of India to endorse VVPAT in all EVM machines passed.

6.22pm: Kejriwal: “We have said that EC should give us an EVM. We only need to change the motherboard. It just takes 90 seconds.” Read: Kejriwal’s AAP shows ‘how to rig EVM’ in Delhi assembly, says all it takes is 90 seconds

6.12pm: AAP making mockery of democracy: BJP

“In the assembly, AAP MLAs are mocking at democracy — another stunt to divert public attention from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s corruption,” the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said in a statement here.

6.06pm: Sisodia in House: “We can hack EVM machines across Delhi in three days.”

5.56pm: CBI to examine Kapil Mishra’s complaints

“CBI received three complaints from Kapil Mishra on bribery and irregularities by Arvind Kejriwal and others in Delhi government. The complaints will be examined and verified,” CBI spokesperson RK Gaur said. Read: CBI to ‘examine and verify’ bribery allegations against Arvind Kejriwal by Kapil Mishra

5.51pm:Sisodia in House: “The base of our democracy is electoral process. I wish we were wrong on EVM tampering... This is not your machine vs my machine. Democracy is in danger. Machine can be hacked in 90 second.”

5.47pm: Sisodia in House: “A party in power will never have the courage to question EVM.”

5.45pm: Income-tax department begins proceedings against AAP. Read: Cancel AAP’s party status for filing false audits, I-T dept tells poll panel

5.40pm: Sisodia in House: Says we must thank Saurabh Bhardwaj for his expose. “Standing ovation for him.”

5.37pm:Sisodia in House: Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has begun his speech at Delhi Assembly. Sisodia begins speech at Delhi Assembly.

5.32pm: Saurabh Bhardwaj tables resolution urging the President and Election Commission of India to endorse VVPAT in all EVM machines. Read: Why Kejriwal’s AAP chose to demonstrate the ‘hacking’ of dummy EVM inside Delhi assembly

5.22pm: Jain involved in multi-crore scam, says Vijender: “Around 200 bigha of land has been bought by Jain in Delhi through five fake companies. The land has been bought at Rs 53 lakh per acre whereas the market value is Rs 2-3 crore per acre,” Gupta said. “The state Urban Development Ministry was used to facilitate the deal which was aimed at earning over Rs 1,000 crore. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has not just knowledge of the entire deal but it has been done with his involvement,” he added.

5.12pm: Will seek Kejriwal’s ouster if charges are proved, say Hazare: “I think there should be a thorough investigation in this case. If Kejriwal is found guilty then I will personally sit on an agitation at Jantar Mantar and demand his resignation,” Anna Hazare said at his residence in Ralegan Siddhi village of Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district.

5.02pm: EC should consider going back to paper ballot: Congress leader Sandeep Dixit reportedly said that the Election Commission should seriously consider going back to paper ballots after AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj ‘proved’ in the Delhi Assembly that EVMs can be tampered with.

4.50pm: BJP gives complaint to EC: “The Aam Aadmi Party has given wrong figures to Election Commission of India. We have given a complaint to ECI. We have demanded that their membership should be suspended,” said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari. “The AAP is trying to divert attention from their inefficiency and crimes through the EVMs demonstration in Delhi Assembly,” he added.

4.40pm: Mishra to record statement with ACB on May 11: Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra will record a “detailed” statement with regard to the Rs 400- crore tanker scam in the Delhi Jal Board with the Anti- Corruption Branch on Thursday. ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena confirmed the development.

4.30pm: EVM drama used to divert attention, says Mishra: Sacked Delhi minister, Kapil Mishra, who was present in the assembly during the EVM ‘demo’ by AAP leaders, said the drama had been staged by the party to divert attention from the party’s failures. “It’s a tactic to divert attention from real issues. People did not want to vote for Arvind Kejriwal and they want to hide this fact.” Read: EC dares AAP to do it in hackathon

4.25pm: Sheila Dikshit denies connection with Water Tanker scam: “This is the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) internal matter. They need to look after their internal disputes. We have no say in that. I cannot understand why they are using my name in this matter,” Sheila Dikshit says. Delhi: What is the water tanker scam?

4.15pm: “The AAP has lost its mental balance, MCD elections loss was not because of EVM,” says Kapil Mishra. Adds that “they will nest tell people the problem lies in your fingers they press the wrong button.”

4.05pm: Delhi BJP to lodge complaint with EC : BJP says it will lodge a complaint with the EC for AAP’s alleged involvement in corruption cases and seek its derecognition. “Based on the past and this new corruption case, a delegation of the party will go and meet the chief election commissioner at 4pm to lodge a complaint. We will also urge the EC to probe the entire accounts of the AAP,” said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari.

3.50pm: AAP could face action: Officials also said that if the EVM used during the demonstration in the Delhi Assembly has been illegally procured from its godown then a case will be filed against the AAP. “If it is proven that the machine is stolen, the FIR will be filed against the party,” the source told HT. Read: EC dismisses AAP’s EVM ‘tampering’ demo

3.45pm:Saurabh Bhardwaj speaks: “For hacking and rigging in any machine, all you have to do is change the mother board which can be done in a few seconds.”

3.42pm:Saurabh Bhardwaj speaks: “BJP has learnt the trick to hack EVMs in five years, we have learnt it in three months... If elections continue to be done through these EVMs there will be no measure of democracy left. Only 1 party will rule.”

3.37pm: Saurabh Bhardwaj speaks:“I challenge those from Harvard or those who have ‘hard work’ to come and prove how this can’t be done,” says Bhardwaj. Read: Why AAP chose to ‘hack’ the EVM inside Delhi assembly

3.35pm: Saurabh Bhardwaj speaks: Says he has years of experience in corporates and MNCs and can challenge anyone to falsify his test on the EVM. He also throws open challenge to explain what happened in Bhind.

3.31pm: Saurabh Bhardwaj speaks:Cites example of Bhind, Punjab, where all votes were allegedly going to the BJP candidate. The error, he says, could be detected because the machine had a paper trail.

3.26pm: BJP MLA Sirsa objects to the demonstration. Speaker asks him to sit down. Sirsa objects to Bhardwaj’s last comment that “when the result came Sirsaji started dancing”.

3.23pm: Tampering demo: Saurabh Bhardwaj claims exit polls are used to create the mood for the candidate for which the election was rigged.

3.18pm: Tampering demo: Saurabh Bhardwaj claims there is a ‘secret code’ hidden under the cardboard covering the EVMs which a party’s person presses to direct all following votes to a predetermined candidate.

3.16pm: Election Commission reaction: EC sources say any machine that goes outside its secured premises ceases to be an EVM used for polls. “This is a prototype, they should come to the hackathon and prove our EVMs can be manipulated,” sources to HT. Read: Election Commission to throw ‘open challenge’ to check EVMs

3.12pm: Tampering demo: Claims the party which has ‘secret code’ can make their selected candidates win.

3.09pm: Tampering demo: Bhardwaj repeats the test again to show the malfunction.

3.06pm: Tampering demo: Saurabh Bhardwaj resets EVM and demonstrates how the very same EVM, which passes mock test, is manipulated during actual polls. Bhardwaj conducts another test on the EVM. Gives two votes to each party but the results show a disparity.

3.02pm: Tampering demo: “Generally the returning officer calls the candidates and displays the functioning of the EVMs. But this is how he can befool the observers,” says Bhardwaj.

2.59pm: Saurabh Bhardwaj speaks: Says he has done engineering and had 10 years of experience in the field. Says he knows how embedded systems and softwares function. Says anyone can tamper with it easily within 10-15 minutes.

2.55pm: Tampering demo: MLAs bring in the machine to demonstrate EVM tampering. Saurabh Bhardwaj addresses the House.

2.50pm: In the gallery: TMC’s Sukhendu Sekhar, Congress’s Tehseen Poonawalla, RJD’s Manoj Jha and CPM’s Nilotpal Basu.

2.45pm: Naresh Yadav in House: There will be day when everyone will believe that the EVM issue for which the CM raised his voice was for real. People will come to know why the BJP that used to object to EVMs fell silent on the matter.

2.43pm: Vijender Gupta says Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain are together involved in corruption. Demands Jain’s arrest.

2.40pm:Naresh Yadav in House: Governments across the globe have banned EVMs. Big countries have never even tried EVMs.

2.37pm:Alka Lamba in House: “In Chattarpur ward 70S total vote polled were 26,445 but EVM counted 26,884 votes. Our candidate lost in that ward by just two votes. My colleagues will present more proof.”

2.35pm: Kapil Mishra now sitting in the last row, listening to Alka Lamba speak with a forlorn look.

2.33pm:Alka Lamba in House: Thanks VV Rao, who had petitioned the Supreme Court in the EVMs case. Says it has led to the decision to introduce EVMs with paper trail.

2.31pm: Alka Lamba in House: “In Tughlakabad four EVMs were tampered with and their seals were broken. CCTV footage from the polling station after 12.30am is not available.”

2.29pm:Alka Lamba in House:“When generation three EVMs remain locked up, why generation one EVMs are being used? The Election Commission will have to reply now.”

2.26pm: Alka Lamba starts speaking on the issue of allegedly faulty EVMs. Kapil Mishra enters the assembly hall.

2.24pm: Vijender Gupta marshaled out of the House on order of the Speaker. BJP left with two MLAs.

2.18pm: Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba asks why the opposition is so scared. “Do you think the big revelation will finish you,” she says.

2.15pm: BJP tries to move adjournment motion. Sacked AAP minister has not arrived in the House so far.

2.13pm: Speaker doesn’t allow Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta to discuss corruption charges in the House.

2.11pm: Speaker warns member against creating chaos in the Assembly. So far around 43 MLAs are present in the House. Three MLAs from opposition are present, including MS Sirsa.

2.10pm: Speaker Ram Niwas welcomes new MLA MS Sirsa who won from Rajouri Garden in assembly bypoll last month. House holds two minutes’ silence for Sukma martyrs.

2.08pm: AAP invites TMC, JDU to be present in the gallery for the demo. Assembly session begins.

2.06pm: AAP MLA Saurab Bhardwaj to give demo on EVM tampering in Assembly.

2.02pm: Suspended AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan reaches Vidhan Sabha.

2.00pm: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal reaches Vidhan Sabha for the special Assembly session.

1.45pm: Kapil Mishra comes out of CBI office, reiterates demand that AAP leaders should make their foreign trips public; says he has files three complaints with the CBI.



1.35pm: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari lashes out at AAP

* Says AAP came up to fight against black money, but there are discrepancies in financial declarations made by the party.

1.25pm: The AAP leaders, who are holding a meeting at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house, are reportedly discussing party’s strategy for the special assembly session in the afternoon. While the primary agenda for the session is EVMs, the leaders are discussing the possibility of raising other issues at the assembly today.

1.15pm: Kapil Mishra alleges “illegal funding” of AAP during the Punjab elections and claims that tickets were being “sold” by the party during the MCD elections.

1.05pm: Top AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Arvind Kejriwal meet at the Delhi CM’s residence.

12.50pm: Kapil Mishra says he was sacked as cabinet minister because he wrote a letter to the Anti Corruption Branch. “If I had not written a letter to the ACB, then he would have not sacked me as the state cabinet minister. I have many evidences against Kejriwal. I know Kejriwal will try to give clarification on all the allegations made by me in the Delhi Assembly today and also brand me as a liar and a corrupt. I know his every tactics,” Mishra said. Read: Mishra targets Kejriwal with ‘proof’ of land deal

12.40pm: Congress leader Tom Vadakkan urges immediate action against the corrupt elements in AAP. “In view of the new inputs, the anti-corruption chief must investigate this matter urgently. Because on the basis of this an FIR must be launched against the accused and action must be taken against these corrupt elements,” said Vadakkan.

12.30pm: Kapil Mishra at CBI office

Mishra claims that he will file three complaints with CBI. One against Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly taking bribe of Rs 2 crore from Satyendar Jain. Second, against the health minister Satyendar Jain for allegedly fixing a land deal for a relative of Kejriwal. Third complaint will be related to alleged foreign tour of five leaders of AAP: Raghav Chadha, Satyendar Jain, Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khaitan and Durgesh Pandey. Read: Kejriwal says truth will prevail

12.20pm: Kapil Mishra reaches CBI office to lodge official complaint against Arvind Kejriwal.

12.15pm: Mishra widens attack on AAP: Tweets that party must make public the details of foreign trips by Raghav Chadha, Ashish Khetan, Sanjay Singh, Satyendar Jain and Durgesh Pathak. Says he will sit on hunger strike from tomorrow if these details are not made public.

12.05pm:Mishra takes on AAP over foreign trips by leaders: Kapil Mishra steps up demand to reveal details of foreign tours of AAP leaders. Says some party leaders have made dozens of foreign trips out of state expense and illegal money. Says party should make public where these leaders went, who they met and how much time they spent in which country.

11.55am: BJP Delhi Youth Wing members hold protest outside chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house. Delhi police use water canons as protesters attempt to cross barricades.

11. 35am:A big conspiracy against the country, says Kejriwal: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal says Saurabh Bhardwaj will unmask a “big conspiracy” in the assembly today. Read: Kejriwal promises ‘big exposé’ in Delhi assembly today, focus likely to be EVMs

देश में चल रहे एक बहुत बड़े षड्यंत्र का सच आज सदन में सौरभ भारद्वाज देश के सामने रखेंगे। उन्हें ज़रूर सुनियेगा। सत्यमेव जयते। — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 9, 2017

11.30am: AAP under total `dictatorial` rule of Kejriwal: Congress

“This is a continuation of what has been happening in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Anyone who tries to raise their voice against Kejriwal, or tries to raise dissent in the party, action is taken against them. I would like to ask, where is the internal democracy in Aam Aadmi Party for which it was created,” says Ajay Maken.



11.20am: Delhi ACB chief MK Meena, whom Kejriwal had often accused of being corrupt, will probe the ‘bribery’ case against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kapil Mishra had filed a complaint against the CM and minister Satyendar Jain with the anti-corruption branch. Read: Delhi ACB chief Meena, criticised by AAP, to probe CM ‘bribery’ case

11.05pm: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal meets IAS probationers at Delhi Secretariat. He is expected to reach the Vidhan Sabha later in the day for the special Assembly session.

10.55am:Twitter war: Kapil Mishra takes on Sanjay Singh on twitter. Following Mishra’s press meet where he called Kejriwal his ‘Guru’, Sanjay Singh took a fling at the sacked minister asking “What student fires arrows at his own teacher?” Mishra replied to him comparing himself to the legendary warrior Abhimanyu who fought his own teachers in the battle of Mahabharat.

10.45am: AAP issues a whip asking all MLAs to be present for the Special Assembly session today at 2pm.

10.35am:Another day of ‘big exposé’: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aides reportedly promised another ‘big-revelation’ at 2pm today. The focus of the exposé could be EVMs. AAP says Kejriwal won’t resign. Party’s social media head Ankit Lal tweets that there will be big exposé at 2pm.

10.25am: AAP unfazed in the face of scandal: The Aam Aadmi Party claims the donations for the party have increased by 150% after it began an intense social media campaign following graft allegations by former Delhi water minister Kapil Mishra. Read: #iBribedKejriwal campaign leads to 150% spike in donations for party, claims AAP

10.15am:Kejriwal-Kapil Mishra to face off at Special Assembly session: The one-day special session is expected to be stormy as the AAP and the Opposition BJP will try to corner each other on a range of issues. It will also bring Arvind Kejriwal and Kapil Mishra face to face for the first time since the latter came out with his accusations against the CM. Read: ‘Have to fight the Guru who taught me everything’

10.05am: Why is AAP defending Jain, asks Vijender Gupta: Leader of Opposition in Delhi, Vijender Gupta, questions why AAP is defending Satyendar Jain against corruption charges. Gupta also questions why Kejriwal has not taken any action against him so far? Gupta said he will be raising these issues in the special assembly session today.

9.54am:More protests at Kejriwal’s house: BJP Delhi youth wing to protest outside AAP convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house. Kejriwal’s house has been the site of protests over the last week since the current crisis broke out. Congress’ youth leaders and Mahila Morcha had staged a sit in at his residence on Sunday and Monday.

9.45am:Mishra challenges Kejriwal to electoral battle: “I challenge you to contest the elections against me, from any seat. Let’s fight the election from Karawal Nagar seat or even your New Delhi seat. If you believe that the people side with you, then I am ready to resign.” Mishra was responding to reports that the party could move to disqualify him from his MLA seat. Read: Suspended Kapil Mishra still remains an AAP member

9.35am:Mishra reads open letter to Kejriwal, seeks his blessings: “I am writing this open letter to Arvind Kejriwal. I want to start by saying that I will be going to the CBI today. Please do bless me Kejriwal ji, I am going to file an FIR against you and your party members. You know the deals that I am not talking about.”

9.20am:Mishra says evidence can be tampered with: “Every detail that I have provided has evidences attached to it. Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi, he can tamper with the evidence. The ACB has called me at 11AM on May 11. The day Satyendar Jain is arrested, everyone will join me”

9.10am: I have received 211 complaints about the AAP since yesterday: Kapil Mishra.

9am: Arvind Kejriwal has been my teacher, I am doing this with a heavy heart, Kapil Mishra says in a media briefing.

8.30am:Suspended AAP minister tweets that he will be making an important announcement at 9am.

Here’s all you need to know about the controversy.

Mishra’s allegations

The 36-year-old Mishra continued his tirade against the party leadership and demanded the removal of health and PWD minister Satyendar Jain, whom he had accused of giving Kejriwal Rs 2 crore. Mishra also questioned his integrity on Sunday and accused him of taking a bribe, shielding people linked to the 2012 water tanker scam, and for being party to a land deal that benefitted a relative.

Besides, he alleged people close to Kejriwal were threatening him. “But I am not afraid.”

The former minister alleged that a Rs 50-crore deal was arranged for the AAP chief’s brother-in-law. “Satyendar Jain told me that he has arranged a seven-acre land deal in Chattarpur for Kejriwal’s brother-in-law, the Bansal family. Being the PWD minister, he fudged bills up to Rs 10 crore in the department to benefit Kejriwal’s relative,” he alleged.

The ousted minister accused the party seniors of indulging in corrupt activities during the Punjab assembly elections and last month’s Delhi civic polls. He said the AAP’s poll candidates in Punjab had to pay massive sums of money to the party.

He accused Kejriwal and two of his associates of trying to shield former chief minister Sheila Dikshit of the Congress, who is an accused in the scam.

AAP’s response

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia called the ousted colleague’s allegations untrue and insensitive. “Mishra is levelling false allegations against a man who died today. He doesn’t even have humanity.”

Kejriwal’s wife Sunita tweeted: “My brother in law is no more n this stupid man is speaking all written script without any mind.”

For his part, Jain dismissed the allegations, and sources close to him said he will file a defamation case against Mishra, who has accused him of visiting the chief minister’s home on Friday and giving the money.

The senior AAP leader will file a defamation suit against Mishra for levelling “baseless” allegations of corruption, an official close to the Delhi minister told PTI.

Conspiracy theory

The AAP alleged that a big conspiracy was being hatched against it by the BJP through Mishra, asserting CM Kejriwal will not resign over the “baseless allegations”.

“A game of exploitation is being played against the AAP. The BJP is hatching a conspiracy against the AAP through Mishra,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh told reporters at a press conference.

He said the BJP and the Congress do not have moral right to raise questions over the AAP’s “honesty” as people know how many alleged scams--2G scam, coal scam, DDCA corruption case--occurred during both parties’ rules.

Opposition on offensive

BJP MLAs met lieutenant governor Anil Baijal and demanded the immediate removal of Jain from the Arvind Kejriwal government.

Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta, who led the delegation of four MLAs, said the L-G should advise the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to expedite probes into allegations of corruption against the two.

In the wake of the allegations made by Mishra, Congress’ Ajay Maken had on Sunday demanded the resignation of Kejriwal, claiming the AAP had “lost its anti-corruption plank”.

(With agency inputs)