Electioneering: ‘Candidates should run for one seat’

Contesting election on more than one seat is a violation of Article 223 of the Constitution, says petitioner.

LAHORE: A writ petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court against candidates contesting the election from more than one constituency. A citizen, Riaz Bhatti, filed the petition saying that many candidates including Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Imran Khan were contesting elections on several seats of National and Provincial Assemblies. He said that contesting election on more than one seat was a violation of Article 223 of the Constitution. He said a candidate should not run an election campaign at the same time in all his constituencies. He added that if a candidate was elected to more than one seat he would resign from all except one within 30 days. The petitioner the Election Commission then had to hold by-elections, after vacation of such seats, which was a waste of public funds.  He prayed to the court to restrain all such candidates from contesting election on more than one seats.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2013.