Delhi Assembly special session updates: AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj demonstrates 'EVM-like' device

The Delhi Assembly is expected to see a stormy special session that has been called by Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal to allay fears over allegations by former minister Kapil Mishra that he took Rs 2 crore bribe from another minister, Satyendra Jain, in connection with the water tanker scam. 

What will add to the turmoil is Mishra seeking Kejriwal's "blessings" before filing a police complaint against his "guru." Mishra has, in an open letter, written to Kejriwal: "Today I am launching my crusade against the same Arvind Kejriwal from whom I have learnt to fight against corruption, to fight for truth. Bless me so I can win." 

Mishra has been suspended from the party after making those allegations, even as Jain — who he has accused of giving Kejriwal the bribe to apparently delay and stall investigation into the scam — has lashed out at Mishra, saying: "He has lost mental balance and is making baseless allegations. Show us papers or proof if this is true."

Kejriwal has so far put up a brave face in light of the allegations. He continued this on Monday night when he said on Twitter: "Truth will triumph. Its beginning will be made during the special session of the Delhi Assembly tomorrow [sic]."

The BJP, on the other hand, has been baying for his blood. Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, replying to a tweet on the Delhi Assembly session, said: "We hope that Kejriwal will listen to the logic on the basis of which he demands resignations of people from India to the United Nations to tender his own resignation."

Given these circumstances, it is only natural to expect that the special session of the Delhi Assembly will be a stormy one, even though the AAP occupies 67 out of the 70 seats in the House, with the BJP having the other three. The session will most definitely bring out rift within the party, even though Kejriwal has made his party leaders swear an "oath of purity" that effectively gags them from speaking out against the party. 

Here are the LIVE updates from the session and afterwards:

4:05 pm IST: And so the session ends. Keep coming back to ibtimes.co.in to get more analysis on the "EVM-tampering" demonstration that took place. It will be up soon!

4 pm IST: The old arguments continue: Advanced countries do not use EVMs; older BJP leaders had also questioned EVMs; voices raised on EVM-tampering were silenced. 

3:55 pm IST: AAP MLA Madan Lal speaks on predicted lines: EVM tampering. 

3:50 pm IST: BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi claims the discussion should have been on water scarcity in Delhi.

3:45 pm IST: Gautam claims this tampering is how the BJP won polls, including the MCD elections. 

3:42 pm IST: Rajendra Pal Gautam of the AAP now gets permission to speak. He, too, harps on how the "democratic process" has been perverted. 

3:40 pm IST: "Even foreigners can hack these machines. That is a big question," says Bhardwaj, claiming to be a "technology specialist." He then compares this to the match-fixing scandal in cricket. 

3:35 pm IST: Bhardwaj now rakes up the faulty EVM that was demonstrated in Bhind. The Election Commission had already given a valid explanation behind why the machine was putting out BJP slips. 

3:27 pm IST: And the ruckus begins, with just three BJP MLAs in the Opposition protesting against the demonstration that shows the BJP getting 11 votes when only 2-3 were polled in this "EVM-like device."

3:25 pm IST: The BJP seems unconvinced, much like several other people. After all, the biggest argument against this demonstration is: "This is not a real EVM." And if it does turn out to be the case, Saurabh Bhardwaj will be in a heap of trouble over how he got his hands on it! That is probably why he has said this is an "EVM-like device."

Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP is taking a swipe at the demonstration: 

3:15 pm IST: Bhardwaj claims any party that wants to win can put in a secret code within the EVM to win the election. "Separate codes for separate EVMs," he says. 

3:10 pm IST: Bhardwaj demonstrates mock polls. Next he will demonstrate tampering and its effect, he says. 

3:05 pm IST: AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj claims he has a "likeness" of EVMs with him that he hacked in 10-15 days!

3 pm IST: Hold your horses! The AAP MLAs have just brought in what appears to be an EVM in the Assembly. How did they get it?

2:55 pm IST: Gupta says: "Children these days claim there are only two chief ministers in India, not 30. One is very bad, and is in Delhi. The other is very good, and is in UP." 

2:50 pm IST: Rajesh Gupta of the AAP speaks now. One common theme is the EVM, and how 400 votes appeared when there were not as many voters in the Chhatarpur Assembly constituency. 

2:40 pm IST: More on the EVM issue coming up. Naresh yadav speaks up. 

2:35 pm IST: Alka Lamba says "Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav" has show how chips — without connection to the Internet — can be used to tamper with petrol pumps. Isn't Yogi Adityanath the current chief minister of UP?

2:32 pm IST: "Three scientists in 2010 showed how EVMs can be tampered. Their voice was gagged and they were booked for it," says Alka Lamba.

2:25 pm IST: Alka Lamba claims MCD elections were conducted with the help of Generation-1 EVMs, while three generations of EVMs are found across the country. 

2:20 pm IST: The Speaker sends Vijender Gupta out of the Assembly for the entire duration of the session. 

2:15 pm IST: AAP MLAs Rakhi Birla and alka Lamba say BJP MLAs, including Manjinder Singh Sirsa, have wasted 15 minutes of the session's time. 

2:12 pm IST: BJP members try to talk of a scam that is to the tune of "Rs 1,000 crore", but the speaker disallows it because it is out of turn. 

2:10 pm IST: Speaker of the Assembly Ram Niwas Goel asks members not to talk of anything other than what is on the agenda, warns that he will act against anyone who causes disruptions. 

2:05 pm IST: Session pays tribute to two jawans whose bodies were mutilated by Pakistan in Kupwara and Sukma martyrs killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh. Two-minutes silence observed. 

2 pm IST: The special session begins in a few minutes. Stay tuned for the live updates. 

1:15 pm IST: One of the top orders of business in the special session is expected to be the ouster of Mishra from the Assembly. The other is expected to be some words from Kejriwal to mollify concerns against him following the bribery and corruption allegations. 

Meanwhile, Mishra is approaching the CBI with purported details of wrongdoings by the Delhi chief minister. 

12:45 pm IST: Delhi BJP general secretary Kuljeet Singh Chahal throws open challenge to Kejriwal. A bit too open, is it?

12:30 pm IST: Here are some visuals from the spot as the police look to rein in the protesters. 

12:25 pm IST: The protests have turned violent! The police have fired water canons at the BJYM protesters. 

12:10 pm IST: Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morscha (BJYM) — the youth wing of the BJP — are protesting outside Kejriwal's official residence. And the police seem prepared for exactly such a situation.

11:40 am IST: Kejriwal says AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj will pull the lid off a huge conspiracy iun the Assembly. 

11:30 am IST: The special session has been called at 2 pm, but there seems to be no let-up in speculation or opinion before that. Mishra has said Kejriwal is trying to sack him as an MLA. That will be a big blow for him.