Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate from LA-27, Kotla, Sardar Tabarak Ali, has rejected the official election results and demanded a recount of votes, alleging irregularities in the polling process.
Ali said that election bags should be reopened within five days, votes should be recounted and fake votes should be removed. He warned that if the recount was not carried out, his supporters would stage a protest sit-in outside the electoral watchdog.
He alleged that chief election commissioner had deliberately taken away his seat and should resign from the post. He claimed that the chief election commissioner belonged to the same constituency and favoured the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The IPP candidate said, “If people’s rights continue to be taken away in this manner, will an ordinary person still have the right to live?”
Ali alleged that the PML-N had no position in the constituency and claimed that elections were postponed twice on the instructions of Rana Sanaullah.
He alleged that roads were blocked with the involvement of the administration, votes were taken from people and double marks were placed on ballot papers to make them invalid, while the police and administration remained unable to act.
He claimed that the chief election commissioner’s brother promised government jobs in the constituency and collected votes on his instructions.
Ali alleged that the electoral watchdog showed bias and that his mandate was taken away. He claimed that he was leading by 5,000 votes until midnight, after which the results were stopped and he was defeated.
He also alleged that fake ballot papers were used at several polling stations and that polling was stopped without reason at different locations.
The IPP candidate claimed that several of his polling agents were given results on plain paper instead of Form-24.
He questioned the presence of a presiding officer at a PML-N candidate’s house during polling at Parscha polling station and again demanded a recount of votes.
Sardar Tabarak Ali said that if the votes were not recounted, an election protest movement would be launched.
