LAHORE, Sept 9: Polling for run-off election for Ravi Town Nazim and Naib Nazim will be held on Sept 16.

The run-off election is being held under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance provisions under which a candidate can be declared winner only if he secures 51 per cent of the registered votes. The panel securing simple majority in the run-off polls will be declared winner.

PML-Q supported the panel comprising City District Government coordinator Amer Munir and Mehr Mohammed Asif who secured 295 votes for Nazim and Naib Nazim against 290 votes bagged by the PML-N, PPP and the Jama’at-i-Islami backed panel comprising Khwaja Salman Rafiq (Nazim) and Sarfraz Chaudhry (Naib Nazim). Neither of the panel could thus be declared winner due to failure to secure 51 per cent of the 602 registered votes.

The actual number of voters in 30 union councils in the town is 630, but 28 are vacant due to different reasons.

The Salman Rafiq panel alleged large-scale irregularities in the election, but district Nazim Mian Amer described it as free, fair and transparent.

Talking to newsmen, he said the PML-Q panel had won the Ravi Town Nazim and Naib Nazim election by democratic norms, but could not be declared winner due to technical reasons.