HYDERABAD, Oct 16: Votes for a provincial assembly seat won by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal are being recounted here on Thursday under the supervision of the divisional election commissioner (DEC) of the defunct Hyderabad division, Imran Siddiqui.

The counting in six polling stations was completed in which about 65 objections by both the parties were recorded over invalid votes, including those of rejected votes, by the DEC.

According to DEC Siddiqui, the recounting would continue for two weeks.

In the light of the order by the election tribunal comprising Justice Mohammad Musa K. Leghari, the counsels or any other unconcerned person were not allowed from both the sides by the election commission official.

He added that counsels and representative of both the sides would be allowed provided the petitioner or respondent were absent.

Earlier, on Sept 30, the DEC had suspended the recounting of votes following a controversy between the petitioner, Farooque Qureshi, and the respondent of the returned candidate, Abdul Rehman Rajput MPA, over counting of invalid votes.

Mr Rajput had claimed that the DEC had to give his observation while counting each invalid vote.

However, the petitioner claimed that the DEC is required to give his observation to the election tribunal instead of giving it to either side.

The election tribunal had fixed the hearing of the case for Nov 6.

The defeated candidate of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Farooque Qureshi, had filed an election petition before the election tribunal which ordered recounting of votes.

Mr Qureshi claimed that the election tribunal issued notices to the two sides when the DEC had submitted his report after suspending recounting of votes.

He argued that the DEC had no authority to suspend the recounting but he had done it for lack of knowledge.

The DEC told Dawn he would record objections of both sides.

He also scrutinized the votes counted earlier in the four polling stations.

The objected votes would be counted in a separate statement for which the DEC would give his objections to the election tribunal.

Rehman Rajput said that the DEC has to give his objection on each invalid vote but he was insisting that he would send it to the election tribunal.

He added that even rejected votes were also being counted as invalid votes by the DEC.

However, Farooque Qureshi maintained that the DEC was not bound to give his observation to defeated or returned candidates as he would submit a consolidated statement before the election tribunal.

He stated that the majority of votes polled to returned candidates were those which did not carry the stamp and signature of the assistant presiding officer.