ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Senator Safdar Abbasi has demanded fresh polls in parts of Larkana district due to massive rigging and manipulation by the candidates of the ruling party with the help of the administration.

Massive rigging took place in Dokri tehsil of Larkana district. When the PML lost in Rattodero and Larkana tehsils, it resorted to massive rigging in Dokri tehsil to give it a fake majority.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PPP Senator from Larkana said the party had already filed complaints with the Election Commission officials and demanded that polling in Dokri tehsil be scrapped and fresh polls held under neutral presiding officers and civil administration.

He said in nearly 100 polling stations in Dokri, the presiding officers already hada ballot box stuffed with ballots.

He said the presiding officers were handpicked at the discretion of Altaf Unar, a member of the ruling party.

He said a catalogue of blank ballot papers was recovered by a PPP candidate from his ruling party rival.

The person was handed over to the Rangers with proof but he was released. He said when this tactic did not work, police officials were called in to forcibly throw out the PPP polling agents.

At yet another polling station, he said, the presiding officers refused to give signed statements of the results with a view to tampering them.

The unsigned results in the said polling stations show that the Awam Dost candidates had won in the elections, he said. The PPP senator said in the light of the wholesale rigging, the party demanded fresh polling in Dokri tehsil under an impartial polls machinery and administration and in the presence of independent observers and monitors.

He said the Election Commission had failed to re-establish its credibility and it was important to hold fresh polls in a fair and transparent manner.