MANSEHRA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Sardar Shahjehan Yusuf on Monday re-emerged as the winner of the Feb 8 election in PK-40 constituency here after the completion of vote recount, which reduced his victory margin from 328 ballots to 96.

Mr Yusuf polled 43,014 votes against 42,918 of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed independent Abdul Shakoor Khan, according to Form 47 issued by PK-47 returning officer Mohammad Saleem.

The ballots cast on Feb 8 were recounted at the Central Election Control Room at the Government Postgraduate College in Doraha area with the police deployed in and out of the premises.

PML-N and PTI activists were present outside the college in large numbers.

The recounting, which started on Feb 10 at the request of Mr Shakoor, took place by the RO’s team in the presence of lawyers for both candidates.

The RO will issue Forms 48 and 49 after the counting of postal ballots and removal of discrepancies in rejected votes.

Runner-up says he will move court against ‘rigging’

Mr Yusuf told reporters that his party suffered on the polling day due to the suspension of internet service.

“Half of my constituency’s voters have moved to urban areas due to harsh winter, especially snowfall, and therefore, they couldn’t make it to the polling stations to cast ballots leading to a low turnout of below 40 per cent against over 70 per cent of previous elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, runner-up Shakoor rejected election results and announced he would challenge election them in the court of law as ballots polled for him were set ablaze outside the returning officer’s offices during vote recount.

“We’ve never heard about such poll rigging. Votes with my symbol stamped by voters were set to fire outside the RO’s offices turning my victory into defeat. All that happened in the presence of the RO and deputy superintendent of police,” Mr Shakoor told reporters outside the RO’s offices here.

Accompanied by his lawyers and local PTI leadership, the candidate said he would produce video evidence of the rigging in the court.

He said RO Mohammad Saleem kept mum on how votes were taken away from his office.

“I’ve all Forms 45 with us that clearly show my victory,” he said.

On the occasion, PTI leader Kamal Saleem Swati said contestant Shahzada Gustasab Khan backed by his party defeated PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif by over 25,000 votes but election results were withheld by the ECP.

“Fake ballot papers for this constituency are being printed in Lahore. We’ve its video evidence,” he said, adding that any bid to rig polls will be foiled.

Mr Saleem Imran Swati, who lost the NA-14 election to PML-N’s Sardar Yusuf, announced he would challenge poll results in the court of law.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2024