SHIKARPUR, May 17: A number of candidates for the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats who lost the just-concluded election have filed applications with returning officers concerned in different parts of the province, requesting a recount or re-election.

In Shikarpur, PPPP candidate for NA-202 (Shikarpur-I) Aftab Shaban Mirani filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), demanding recount and verification of thumb impressions of voters who cast votes for his opponent, NPP’s Ibrahim Jatoi, at 17 polling stations.

The election commission ordered the district returning officer (DRO) to carry out recount and verification of thumb impressions but the DRO excused himself from performing the job citing health reasons.

He requested the ECP to appoint some other official in his place to do the job because he was indisposed, so unable to do justice with the important task.

Zulfiqar Ali Kamariyo, PML-F candidate for PS-9 (Garhi Yasin), who has accused his rival PPPP candidate, Agha Siraj Khan Durani, of large-scale rigging, also filed a petition with the ECP, requesting re-election on PS-9. The commission has not so far issued any order on his request.

MITHI: PPPP candidate, Giyanchand, who lost PS-60 to former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, filed an application with the RO for NA-229, PS-60 and PS-61 (Tharparkar–I) on Thursday, accusing Arbab of committing massive rigging at 46 polling stations in Diplo to snatch the seat. He alleged in the application that his agents were not allowed to sit in the 46 polling stations where turnout remained between 80 and 90 per cent and called for verification of thumb impressions of voters to determine validity of the votes polled at these polling stations.

Mr Giyanchand said that Dr Arbab could not get majority votes at these polling stations but he rigged the polls to get 25,269 votes. Therefore, the process to check thumb impressions should be initiated immediately to ascertain magnitude of rigging, he said.

The RO wrote in a note under Mr Giyanchand’s application that the request appeared to be reasonable but his office had no powers to verify thumb impressions. Therefore, the application was being forwarded to the ECP for further action, said the note.