NA-122 bypolls: Up to 23 hopefuls submit nomination forms on last day

LAHORE:

On the last day of submissions of nomination papers, around 23 contenders, including both PML-N and PTI candidates, submitted their forms for by-polls in the NA-122 constituency scheduled to be held on October 11 after the election tribunal de-seated former speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, on August 22.

On Friday PTI’s contesters Aleem Khan for NA 122 and Shoaib Siddiqi for PP 147 submitted their nomination forms before the returning officer while a third party submitted the nomination forms on behalf of PML-N candidate Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.



On August 22, Election Tribunal Judge Kazim Malik had de-seated National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq after nullifying his election from NA-122 and had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold a re-election in the constituency.

Ayaz Sadiq had defeated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in the May 2013 general elections, but his victory was challenged by the PTI chief in the tribunal.

The tribunal also ordered re-elections in the PP-147 constituency from where Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mohsin Latif, had won the election by defeating PTI’s Shoaib Siddiqui.

Scrutiny of the nomination papers will be conducted on September 14 while the candidates would be able to withdraw their nomination papers by September 21.

PTI’s candidate from NA-122 Aleem Khan while speaking to the media said Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s hesitation in facing his opponents was disturbing. He said Sadiq had failed to address the grievances of the people, because of which he was now unable to face his constituency in the wake of the by-poll. He said the people of the constituency would no longer allow their votes to

be stolen. Khan said the ruling PML-N had failed to address issues of the common people. “We believe in politics of change. The party which came into power through rigging is now scared” he said.

Opposition leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed said that the government was indulging in pre-poll rigging however the government’s tactics of rigging would not work now, with people well aware of their rights. He forecast a PTI win in the constituency. Rasheed said time would only tell whether the ruling party adheres to the rules of the ECP or not.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th,  2015.