ECP rejects PTI's allegations on voters list, transfer of votes from NA-122

No votes can be transferred from constituency without consent of voter, clarifies Election Commission

ISLAMABAD: In response to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's demand for verification of the voters list in NA-122, Lahore, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) clarified on Sunday the election body had already provided voters lists of the recently held by-polls to PTI representatives.

After its defeat in the October 11 by-election, the PTI had called on October 13 for a ballot recount and verification of the voters list.

The ECP spokesperson said there were 326,028 registered voters in NA-122 during 2013 polls, which after an increase of 21,734 votes stood at 347,762 in the by-election.

Read: NA-122 result: PTI calls for ballot recount, verification of voters list

PTI had also alleged that a large number of votes were shifted to other constituencies without the consent of the voters.

Taking on this allegation, the ECP spokesperson maintained that under Section 18 of Electoral Rolls Act 1974, no vote could be transferred from one electoral area to another without the consent of a voter.

It is mandatory for a voter to appear before the Registration Officer, and only after his satisfaction can the vote be shifted to the desired area and deleted from the area, the ECP said.

"The record of votes shifted under Section-18 of the Electoral Act 1974 is available in the offices of concerned Registration Officers," the statement added.

Read: Thin margin victory: PML-N reclaims NA-122

The spokesperson of the electoral authority, however, reiterated the ECP was ready to provide any kind of relevant information to PTI for its satisfaction.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)'s Ayaz Sadiq had won the battle royal in NA-122 after polling 4,161 votes more than its rival, Aleem Kahn.