LAHORE, May 13: In the aftermath of May 11 polls, some of the losing candidates seek vote recount while some others who were declared winners have to defend their victory that is becoming controversial because of rigging allegations.

PTI central leader Hamid Khan and Khwaja Salman Rafique of PML-N on Monday filed applications for votes recounting before returning officers of NA-125 and PP-152, respectively.

The ROs concerned summoned the both applicants on Tuesday (today).

Mr Khan had lost May 11 general election to Khwaja Saad Rafique of PML-N and Mr Rafique was defeated by Dr Murad Ras of the PTI.

Meanwhile, PML-N MNA-elect Khwaja Saad Rafique facing rigging allegations has offered to resign from his seat provided solid evidence was produced in court or at some other platform in this regard.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, Saad said he was ready to tender his resignation from NA-125 if the PTI came up with concrete evidence of the alleged rigging done by his supporters on the polling day.

Recalling he had never lost any electoral contest except the one for a councillor seat, he said his success in the May 11 polls should not be termed unexpected.

Urging the PTI leadership to do ‘mature politics’, Saad said the PML-N was ready to take along all the political forces respecting their mandate.

He urged the PTI leadership to end the sit-in by the party workers on a thoroughfare in the constituency as it had confined the area’s residents to their homes.

In Muzaffargarh, former governor and PML-F Punjab president Ghulam Mustafa Khar has announced challenging the result of his constituency NA-176 before the Election Commission.

“I was leading by 40,000 votes against my opponent and subsequently declared winner. But later the result of my constituency was withheld and I was told that I had lost the seat by a margin of 3,000 votes,” Khar told Dawn by phone on Monday.

He alleged that his opponent (Sultan Mahmood Hanjra) committed “massive rigging”. “The staff at the polling stations refused to give result to my polling agents,” he added.

Khar said it was being expected of the ECP it would ensure free and fair polls but it failed to do so. “The ECP ignored the conventional methods of rigging (employed) in the rural constituencies,” he said.