THATTA, May 12: Pakistan Peoples Party candidates in Thatta district on Sunday alleged that their rivals in connivance with the district returning officer and some returning officers as well as district administration stole their victory through rigging.

PPP candidate for PS-88 Ghorabari, Owais Muzaffar Tappi along with candidate for NA-237 Thatta-I Sadiq Ali Memon, PS-85 candidate Sassui Palijo, PS-84 Thatta candidate Abdul Hameed Soomro and PS87 candidate Abbas Lohar addressed a crowded press conference at the PPP election camp in Makli on Sunday.

He said during his recent meeting with the CEC Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim, he had expressed his apprehensions about fair polling in Thatta because of the rival Shirazi group’s influence on official circles. The group abused their influence to change PPP candidates’ victory into defeat, he alleged.

He said that the electronic media declaring unofficial results had declared all PPP candidates for Thatta leading in their respective constitutes while counting was under way. “The Shirazis then brought their supporters to the district and sessions court and created a rumpus outside the DRO office after which the results surprisingly changed.

He claimed that the ROs concerned unsealed some ballot boxes in the absence of PPP candidates and manipulated the results.

Mr Tappi, Sassui Palijo and other PPP candidates said that PPP were being made to accept the pre-fabricated results but the PPP would continue to work for the progress of the area and prosperity of its people.

According to the unofficial results, Owais Muzaffar Tappi emerged successful on his PS-88 Ghorabari seat and Sadiq Ali Memon on the NA-237 Thatta 1 seat.