LAHORE: An election tribunal on Tuesday declared null and void the election of MPA Ashraf Warraich, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate and ordered a re-election in 33 polling stations of the PP-97 constituency in Gujranwala area.

The decision came during a hearing presided by retired district and sessions judge Kazim Ali Malik of an election petition filed by Nasir Cheema, a losing candidate from the constituency belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).

The petitioner had alleged rigging in the area during the General Elections held in 2013 and claimed that Warraich’s success was engineered.

The tribunal had ordered the recounting in 33 polling stations of Gujranwala.

During the recounting process 33 vote bags were found without any stamps and the bags did not bear any signature or seal of election commission. The result sheets formulated were also not made in the sheets which election commission provided.

Declared the elections in these polling stations as 'null and void', the tribunal ordered re-elections in 33 polling stations of Gujranwala's PP-97 constituency.