Growing strength: PPP’s Sundrani bags PS-17 after re-polling

Pakistan Peoples Party’s Mir Abid Sundrani secures 43,571 votes, according to the unofficial results.

SUKKUR:

Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Mir Abid Sundrani was declared a winner from PS-17 (Kandhkot) a second time following re-polling on three polling stations, held under tight security. The re-polling was ordered when Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) candidate Raja Ghous Bux Bijarani complained of large scale rigging in Allah Warayo Ogahi, Pir Jan Bachkani and Qaiser Miani.

Sundrani was declared a winner with 19,848 votes after May 11 results came out while Bijarani bagged 17,241 votes.

As per the unofficial results, Sundrani received 43,571 and 94 votes while Bijarani secured 538, 130 and 868 votes from Pir Jan Bachkani, Qaiser Miani and Allah Warayo Ogahi respectively.

PPP, thus, managed to edge past JUI with 20,556 votes against the latter’s tally of 18,777.

The three polling stations had a combined voter turnout of around 50 per cent as only 2,512 of the 5,029 voters cast their vote. No untoward incident was reported during the re-polling.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2013.