LG polls: PTI accuses PML-N of committing electoral fraud

PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry demands annulment of local government elections held in Punjab

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has once again accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of electoral rigging during the recently held local government (LG) elections in Punjab.

“Polling staff was working for PML-N workers while police colluded against PTI activists,” PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry said while addressing a press conference in Lahore on Monday.

“Voter lists in 19 union councils were tampered,” Chaudhry said while declaring the whole episode ‘a flawed exercise’. “Everything was staged just as they did in NA-122 by-poll,” he added.



The PTI leader demanded the annulment of LG polls, saying electoral fraud was committed during the elections.

Earlier on Sunday, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) had said many of the irregularities reported in the 2013 general elections were repeated in Saturday’s local government elections.

Sarwar Bari, a FAFEN founding member, in a press conference said all parties had complaints.

“One of the irregularities was not allowing some FAFEN representatives to observe the voting and counting process at polling stations, although the ECP had issued it an accreditation in this regard.”

The PML-N swept to victory in the first phase of the local government elections held in 12 districts of Punjab.



The ruling party’s voters seemed to have put a gaping difference between the ruling party and all other candidates contesting the LG polls held after almost a decade.

The PML-N secured 900 union council seats, with only independent candidates coming close to the ruling party with 741 seats. The PTI managed to secure only 192 seats while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) secured 33 each.