Islamabad (Web Desk): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday dismissed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) plea for a recount of votes in PP-7 (Rawalpindi-II).
According to the details, candidate Shabbir Awan had filed a petition and requested a recount of votes but the electoral watchdog said that the party had failed to prove rigging.
The case of PP-7 was heard by the ECP on orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench, who had reserved the decision.
A five-member ECP bench led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and including Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and retired Justice Ikramullah Khan, heard the plea.
The ECP has issued notifications for the success of 15 members of the PTI, three members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and one independent candidate.
On Monday, the returning officer had summoned all candidates who contested the by-election in PP-7 to his office after the PTI challenged the election result, citing a delay in the result’s announcement and a small difference between the votes of the winning candidate and the runner-up.
According to unofficial results, PML-N candidate Raja Sagheer Ahmed emerged victorious from the constituency by a thin margin of 49 votes in the Punjab by-polls held on July 17, as per unofficial results.
Following the narrow margin of defeat, PTI's candidate Shabbir Awan submitted an application to RO Rai Sultan Bhatti and had requested a recount.
It is pertinent to mention that the PTI won at least 15 out of 20 constituencies on in the Punjab by-elections on July 17 while PML-N could secure only four seats.
An independent candidate also managed to get one seat.
The 20 seats of Punjab Assembly fell vacant after the ECP de-seated the PTI lawmakers for voting for PML-N's candidate Hamza Shehbaz in election for the chief minister’s slot.