NOWSHERA: As many as 6,000 votes polled during Friday’s by-election on a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seat (PK-63) have been found missing, Country News learnt on Monday.
Sources having knowledge of the matter relayed no record of 6,000 votes was found. The discrepancy came to the fore after examination of Form-46 issued by the election commission.
They said the election staff glaringly tampered with details of votes cast and their serial numbers. Two verified copies of Form-46 based on different record were issued instead of one.
The sources said 1,500 ballot papers alone were found missing at a polling station of PK-63. A total of 1,200 ballot papers were issued at the polling station no.41 and 483 votes were cast but instead of 717, 1,317 ballot papers were returned to the returning officer, they added.
1,800 ballot papers were issued at another polling station and 2,400 votes cast.
The sources said the violation of election rules and mismanagement were reported at 40 per cent of the polling stations.
PTI candidate Umar Kakakhel, who lost the provincial assembly seat to PML-N’s Akhtiyar Wali Khan with a margin of 4,100 votes, challenge the by-election results. He said clear and irrefutable evidence will be presented to the election commission.