An election tribunal on Tuesday declared the results of 33 polling stations of PP-97, Gujranwala, void and ordered re-polling in 60 days at those stations. The seat was won by a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate.
The tribunal issued the order for re-polling on a petition filed by the losing candidate, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s Nasir Cheema, who challenged the winning candidate, Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Warraich’s victory claiming vote rigging.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the tribunal appointed a commission which confirmed that rigging had taken place at 33 polling stations in the constituency. The tribunal declared the results of the polling stations void and directed the election commission to hold fresh polling there in 60 days.
On March 10, an election tribunal in Sukkur ordered re-polling at 21 polling stations in NA-202 Shikarpur-2. The order was issued on an application by the losing candidate Aftab Shaban Mirani who challenged PML-N’s candidate Muhammad Ibrahim Khan Jatoi’s victory at the polls. The re-polling took place on May 6, 2014, and Mirani won the election by a margin of 233 votes.
On March 26, an election tribunal ordered re-polling for PP-136 (Narowal) after declaring the polls rigged. Independent candidate Muhammad Wakeel Khan Manj, the runner up, challenged the victory of Col (r) Shujaat Ahmad Khan of PML-N. The tribunal said they had found serious flaws and discrepancies in records for the constituency.
They ordered fresh polls for the constituency which were held on May 22. Khanzada won again.
On April 9, an election tribunal declared the victory of PML-N candidate Sheikh Muhammad Akram from NA-89 Faisalabad void. Akram had defeated Maulana Ludhianvi at the polls but was later disqualified by the tribunal. The election commission issued a notification declaring Ludhianvi the winner but on April 22, the Supreme Court, a on a petition by Akram, suspended that notification.
On July 25, an election tribunal in Karachi ordered re-polling in PS-114 after Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Rauf Siddiqi challenged PML-N candidate Irfanullah Marwat’s victory at the polls. Siddiqi had accused Marwat of rigging the elections. The National Database and Registration Authority had informed the election tribunal that 17,504 votes cast in PS-114 were bogus.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2014.
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