MUZAFFARGARH: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Tahir Randhawa’s request for a recount of votes in constituency PP 281-III, Layyah.

According to a notification issued by the ECP, petitioner Randhawa filed a petition in the election tribunal in February after the general elections of 2024. However, the application was deemed inadmissible due to lack of evidence, as per the decision. Mr Randhawa alleged election rigging and falsification of Form 45. As per results, he received 34,870 votes while his opponent, Shoaib Ameer, obtained 38,353 votes. Despite his claims, the ECP rejected his application.

Meanwhile, in PP 269 Muzaffargarh, independent candidate Iqbal Khan Pittafi also requested a recount of votes, but the ECP rejected his plea. The ECP stated that MPA Alamar Qureshi had already resigned from the PP 269 seat, leaving it vacant.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2024