The much hyped poll rigging allegation by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mian Marghoob came to an end with Maghroob emerging victorious over PTI’s Maher Wajid by a mere 453 votes in the by-poll recount.
After the final phase of vote recounting in 147 polling stations of PP-150 on the request of the PTI, the local returning officers declared PML-N’s Marghoob victorious by 453 votes.
After the recount, Pakistan Election Commission (ECP) officials announced that the PML-N candidate secured 18,526 votes against the PTI candidate’s 18,073 votes. Both candidates were present when the results were announced. It is mentionable that 1,136 votes were rejected during the recount.
Earlier in the day, the recount was halted as the presiding officers of nine polling stations did not reach the session court following the order of the returning officer (RO). PP-150 RO Javed Iqbal had summoned the presiding officers to the session court for the recounting of votes.
The recount begun on Monday and was completed after three days on Wednesday.
On the first day of the recount (Monday), a state of panic resulted when it was revealed that two bags of votes were missing. However, both bags were later found from the record room of the ECP and produced before the RO.
After the August 22 by-elections, ECP results showed that Wajid lost by 375 votes. Later, the PTI candidate filed an application seeking a recount before the said RO but he rejected Wajid’s plea. However, the PTI rejected the poll result and staged demonstrations demanding a recount.
The PTI claimed that their rival political party’s candidate had committed rigging in PP 150, so an election tribunal should be arranged for recounting the votes. The ECP then managed a recount in which the PML-N candidate was declared successful with a lead of 452 votes.
After the announcement of the vote recount, the losing candidate termed the elections process as bogus and demanded the ECP to hold fresh elections in the constituency as government machinery had been used to snatch the public’s mandate which was in favour of the PTI.
On the other hand, Marghoob took a round of his constituency in Sabzazar where hundreds of party workers and supporters warmly welcomed and congratulated him. The PML-N supporters chanted slogans in favour of their party and said that Marghoob’s victory was evidence of the PML-N’s popularity.
Marghoob said that his win was in fact the victory of truth and a defeat to the politics of allegations. He pledged to serve the people of his constituency with renewed strength.
