ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday approached Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to declare NA-249 (Karachi West-II) by-polls null and void.

In a petition filed with ECP, the party sought annulment of the NA-249 by-poll citing the officer’s of choice were installed on the behest by Sindh provincial government to rig the polls on seat vacated by a PTI member.

The PTI, in its petition with the top electoral body took the plea that the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Sindh launched development projects ahead of elections to secure a victory for its candidate.

It argued that ‘officers of choice’ were brought from Sindh education department Sindh as presiding officers which made the elections controversial.

It further said that Form 45 were not handed over at several polling stations to polling agents in NA-249.

Before the election, it claimed, 17000 votes were transferred from NA-249 Karachi to other cities.

According to the ECP, a total of 339,591 voters are registered from the constituency and a total of 73,471 votes were cast during the by-poll held on April 29.

The voters’ turnout was estimated to be 21 percent and 731 votes were rejected.

The NA-249 seat was left vacant after PTI’s Faisal Vawda resigned in March 2021 prior to being elected senator.

He had bagged 35,344 votes from the constituency in the 2018 general elections, with PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif trailing closely behind with 34,626 votes – losing by a margin of 723 votes.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) had cinched 13,534 votes and was followed by the now defunct Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) 23,981 votes.

The PPP had stood further behind with 7,236 votes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021