KARACHI, Feb 21: About a dozen candidates of the National and Sindh assemblies have filed applications with their respective returning officers for recounting of votes polled at the relevant polling stations and withholding of the results’ notification.

Meanwhile, Abdul Haseeb of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Thursday was declared winner in PS-92 after recounting of the ballots and Shabbir Qureshi of the Pakistan People’s Party was declared runner-up.

On Feb 19, in the unofficial tally Mr Haseeb was declared runner-up with 30,981 votes against Shabbir Qureshi, who was shown as winner with 31,394 votes.

The candidates, in their applications, whose copies were also forwarded to the Sindh provincial and chief election commissioners, had alleged rigging had taken place and took the plea that despite their protests, the election authorities failed to take notice of their grievances when their election agents drew their attention towards the alleged throwing out of their polling agents and the stuffing of ballot boxes with ballot papers stamped with the MQM candidates’ election symbol.

Those who had called for a recount and stay of the results’ notification included Abdullah Baloch from NA-240, Habib Memon from NA-249, Mirza Ikhtiar Baig from NA-250 and Syed Faisal Raza Abidi from NA-253, along with the Sindh Assembly candidate from PS-91 Liaquat Ali, Habib Jan from PS-110, Najmi Alam from PS-112, Hakim Baloch from PS-126 and Rafique Baloch from PS-127.

Besides, PS-114 candidate Irfanullah Khan Marwat, ex-provincial minister of the Arbab government, in his application served to Provincial Election Commissioner Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, called for the recounting of votes polled by each candidate in six polling stations as he was not provided their results.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Marwat said that the RO had declined to provide him the station-wise polling results. However, he offered to give him only a copy of the consolidated result of his constituency.

He said as it was not possible to have an idea of the votes he had received from the each polling station, he would like, under Section 39 of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1976, that recounting be ordered in the six mentioned polling stations.

Habib Jan, in his application, said that as he lost because of “massive rigging and bogus voting,” a recount should be ordered in the polling stations mentioned in the letter.

NA-240 PPP candidate Abdullah Baloch told Dawn that as he had requested in his application the recounting of votes of polling stations 6, 7 and 8 of UC-1, Pak Colony, the returning officer (RO) refused to order recounting, saying that as he had made him a party in the application, he would not order the recount.

Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, the NA-250 candidate, besides filing an application with the RO and the provincial election commissioner and the chief election commissioner, had also filed a petition in the high court for withholding of the result of his constituency.

According to Section 39 of the Representation of Peoples Act, any candidate or his election agent is entitled to demand a re-count from the RO concerned, provided such a request is made in writing.

However, such recounting is possible only if the request was made prior to the consolidation of results under Section 39(6) of the act.