KARACHI, June 8: Syed Waqar Shah of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) defeated Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqui of Muttahida Deeni Mahaz (MDM) by only 249 votes in election for the Sindh assembly’s constituency of PS-128 after re-polling at six polling stations on Saturday, according to unofficial results.

The MQM candidate polled 350 votes in Saturday’s re-polling at the six polling stations against 18 votes on May 11. With 23,478 votes from remaining polling stations in May 11 polling, his total votes are now 23,828.

Maulana Farooqui secured 2,688 votes in the re-polling. With 20,891 votes of May 11, his total votes are now 23,579. He polled 441 votes in the six polling stations earlier. The Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) boycotted the re-polling.

The PTI candidate bagged 3,557 votes and the ANP candidate 3,108 in the constituency in May 11 polling.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had ordered re-polling after the MDM candidate challenged initial results and appealed for re-polling at the six polling stations. He argued that polling at the six stations was affected by a bomb blast in the area on May 11.

The blast which apparently targeted an ANP election office in the city’s Landhi area left more than a dozen people dead and nearly 50 wounded.

After a series of hearings in Islamabad, the ECP accepted the MDM candidate’s plea and ordered re-polling at the six polling stations.