KARACHI, Oct 30: The full bench of the Election Commission on Wednesday declared Mehmood Ahmad Qureshi of Mohajir Qaumi Movement notified as elected from the National Assembly constituency NA-255.

The bench, which met here on Wednesday in the chamber of Justice Ashraf Leghari at the Sindh High Court, rejected the petition of Aslam Mujahid, candidate of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, praying for a halt to the recounting in the constituency and re-polling in its 58 polling stations.

The Bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ashraf Leghari, Justice Nasim Sikander, Justice Ahmad Khan Lashari, and Justice Ehsanullah Qureshi, after hearing petitioner’s arguments, respondent’s point of view and the returning officer’s clarification regarding ‘missing envelopes containing ballot papers’, rejected the prayer.

The petitioner had told the Bench that the 13 missing envelopes contained 17,454 used and unused ballot papers and that there was no point in continuing the recounting without locating or recovering the ballot papers.

Mehmood Ahmed Qureshi, the respondent in the petition, opposed the re-polling arguing that he had polled highest votes as against all his rivals in the Oct 10 election. As such, he insisted, he should be declared winner on the NA-255 seat. The bench, after hearing the point of view of the RO in camera, announced its verdict rejecting the petition.

Meanwhile, after a break of two days, the RO of the provincial Assembly constituency PS-118 resumed recounting of votes and covered another 10 polling stations leading the number of covered stations so far to 58 out of 90. According to the latest position, the MMA candidate was leading with 10,419 votes as against the MQM man who was trailing behind with 9,990.