Form 45 availability to polling agents a must: ECP

CEC reviews arrangements of Daska re-election

ISLAMABAD:

In order to ensure transparency and impartiality in the NA-75 Daska re-polls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Saturday directed that nobody will be allowed to enter the polling stations except the candidates and election agents to receive the election results.

A day earlier, the Supreme Court had rejected the ruling PTI’s appeal against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) directives to conduct re-polling in the entire constituency of NA-75 Daska. On Saturday, the ECP held two important meetings to discuss the re-polls in the constituency scheduled for April 10. The first meeting was held under the chairmanship of CEC at the provincial election commissioner office in Lahore.

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Raja had specially flown to the provincial capital for the purpose. Directing the authorities concerned to make the reelection transparent and impartial, the CEC called for increasing the monitoring teams in the constituency. He instructed that the presiding officer will remain inside the polling station at the end of polling and prepare form 45 and sign it. He said that no polling agent would leave the polling station without receiving the form 45 duly signed by the presiding officer.

Raja also issued directions for setting up a control room at Punjab provincial election commissioner office where people would be able to register their complaints through calls and emails. Meanwhile, ECP Secretary Dr Akhtar Nazir Warriach reached Daska where another meeting regarding re-polls in the constituency was held. The meeting was attended by Gujranwala Division commissioner and RPO, deputy commissioner, Rangers wing commander and representatives of Pakistan Army.

The participants of the meeting were briefed about the security plan and implementation of electoral code of conduct with regard to the upcoming re-polls. The election commission secretary urged the ECP, district administration and law enforcement agencies to work together for the holding of repolls in a fair and transparent manner. He called for adopting strict security measures on the election day. On the other hand, the ECP has established complaint cells in four constituencies for by-polls.