PMLN gets another NA seat after vote recount

ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has won another National Assembly seat when a runner-up in the general elections became the winner after the recount of votes as per the order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Abdul Rehman Kanju is the latest beneficiary of the recount; there are a number of pleas for such an exercise pending with the ECP pertaining to both the NA and provincial assemblies’ constituencies.

PMLN’s Kanju was defeated by PTI-backed independent candidate Rana Faraz Noon from NA-154 (Lodhran), with a margin of 6,499 votes, according to the Form-47. However, now the PMLN candidate has surfaced as the winner after the recount, leading by 7,301 votes.

In contrast as per the Form 47, Rana Faraz had received 134,937 votes, which now have shrunk to 120,683 following the recount, whereas Kanju could get 128,438 votes but these have been reduced to 127,984.

As a consequence of the recount, the ECP issued the victory notification of Kanju and withdrew the one that had declared Noon as a returned candidate.

Only a few days back, Azhar Qayyum Nahra of PMLN was declared the winner after recounting in NA-81, Gujranwala, whereas in the February 8 elections, a PTI-backed independent candidate Bilal Ijaz allegedly pocketed 117,717 votes and won with a lead of 7,000 votes against his opponent Nahra.

Nahra moved the ECP, which ordered a recount at 75 polling stations of NA-81, and after recounting, he was declared the winner by 3,197 votes, getting 110,057 votes against Bilal’s 106,860 votes.

Similarly, last week, PMLN’s Khan Bahadar from Jaranwala PP-100 constituency was declared winner after a vote recount. Previously, following the general elections, PTI-backed candidate Chaudhry Umair Wasi Zafar was declared the winner and the notification was also duly issued.

However, on the application of PMLN’s losing candidate, Khan Bahadar, the ECP ordered recounting which was held on March 12 at the office of the Election Commission, Faisalabad.

After recounting, the applicant was found to have had secured more votes than his opponent and was declared the winner.

Meanwhile, after a week, the ECP has issued a notification of successful candidates of Senate by-elections held on March 14, according to which Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has been notified as Senator on a general seat from Islamabad.

Likewise, on two vacant Senate seats from Sindh, PPP’s Jam Saifullah Dharejo and Muhammad Aslam Abro have been notified as elected.

Similarly, PPP’s Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s Abdul Shakoor Khan Ghaibai and PMLN’s Mir Dostain Khan have been notified as senators from Balochistan.

Separately, the ECP has issued a notification about the names of returned candidates for the seats reserved for women in the National Assembly from Punjab province in pursuance of the provision of Clause (6) of Article 224 of the Constitution read with Section 104 of the Elections Act 2017.

The names of returned candidates are Saira Tarar, Bushra Anjum Butt, Huma Akhtar Chughtai, Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi, Gulnaz Shahzadi, Shamaila Rana, Shazia Farid and Syeda Amnah Batool. All the seats have gone to PMLN.

Meanwhile, the ECP has fixed April 2 as the last date for receipt of applications for postal ballot papers for by-elections in six NA and 17 constituencies of the provincial assemblies.