Senate elections: Polling stopped in KP Assembly after rigging allegations
The voting process was stopped after rival parties accused each other of rigging the polls.
PESHAWAR (Web Desk) – Voting for Senate elections in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was suspended as opposition parties hurled rigging allegations on Thursday, Dunya News reported.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, twenty five candidates are contesting Senate elections for seven general seats, two technocrat seats, two seats reserved for women and one minority seat.
The voting process was stopped after rival parties accused each other of rigging in the electoral process.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MP Nighat Orakzai alleged that a Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) MPA has taken away four ballot boxes.
ANP candidate Haji Adeel claimed that four votes are being cast in the same ballot box. In this way, ten to twelve authentic votes were ousted.
Later, a meeting between Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and opposition members also took place to resume the voting process.
Opposition members set two conditions for resumption of voting. They demanded that there should be two signatures of the election commissioner on a ballot paper and four ballot boxes should be placed for voting.
Afterwards, three additional ballot boxes were dispatched to the assembly hall.
Provincial Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani clarified that no one has taken ballot papers out of the assembly. Those who don’t have majority’s support are trying to create hurdles, he added.
On the other hand, the Chief Election Commissioner took notice of PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ahsraf rigging allegations and sought evidence from him in this regard.
