Jahangir Tareen officially notified NA-154 winner

ISLAMABAD:

A week after he secured victory in the by-elections, PTI central leader Jahangir Tareen has been formally notified as member of National Assembly by the election authorities on Monday.

Tareen had defeated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Siddique Baloch with a big margin in the by-polls for NA-154 Lodhran, held on December 23.



Tareen will take oath as MNA once the National Assembly session starts.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issues the official notification for winners once they submit affidavits solemnly declaring that they had abided by all the rules and did not spend more than prescribed limit for election expenses. Existing election laws allow a candidate for National Assembly to spend a maximum Rs1.5 million for election campaign.

Along with affidavit, the winners have to submit details of expenses they made in the election campaign along with the receipt of every transaction.



Hardly any candidate follows the rule, majority submit fake receipts of expenses to fulfil a formality of ECP. Election campaign for by-elections in NA-154 was reportedly one of the most expensive, where the two leading candidates reportedly spent millions each to lure voters.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2015.