ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved Thursday afternoon its verdict in the recount of votes case for the PP-7 Rawalpindi by-election after the PTI candidate for the Punjab Assembly constituency challenged the results.
The ECP conducted a hearing today following the Lahore High Court’s orders and will announce the verdict shortly, the commission’s spokesperson said.
PTI candidate Shabbir Awan’s plea for a recount of votes was rejected by the returning officer (RO) of the constituency a day earlier, but on the same day, the LHC Rawalpindi bench ordered the ECP to stop the issuance of results and resolve the matter first.
PML-N candidate Raja Sagheer Ahmed emerged victorious from the constituency by a thin margin of 49 votes in the Punjab by-polls held on July 17, as per unofficial results.
PML-N’s Ahmed had won the seat with 68,906 votes, whereas PTI’s Awan managed to bag 68,857 votes.
Following the narrow margin of defeat, the PTI candidate decided to challenge the results and filed an application for a recount of votes in the constituency.
During the Punjab by-polls on July 17, PTI won at least 15 out of 20 constituencies, while PML-N only clinched victory in four. An independent candidate also managed to get one seat.
