Four NA seats in Karachi see higher number of rejected votes than margin of victory

KARACHI: Four National Assembly constituencies in Karachi had a higher number of rejected votes than the margin of victory of winning candidates.

NA-249, from where Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif lost to Faisal Vawda of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) by a margin of 718 votes saw 2,684 votes rejected. Shehbaz Sharif raised the issue with the Returning Officer (RO) but his requests for a recount were rejected.

Similarly, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Khawaja Sohail Mansoor lost by a margin of 336 from NA-239 against PTI’s Muhammad Akram. 3,281 votes were rejected in this instance, prompting him to ask for a recount which the RO and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected.

Mansoor ultimately filed a petition at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) which approved it for hearing. Mansoor also alleges he was not handed over the Form 45 as was his right.

PTI’s Jameel Ahmed winning against Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Abdul Hakeem from NA-237  also saw a similar issue. Ahmed won by a margin of 1,382 votes while the number of rejected votes was 2,184.

Finally, PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel victory against PTI’s Sardar Aziz from NA-248 by a margin of 1,023 votes saw 3,078 votes rejected.