BAP's Saleh Bhootani challenges ECP's verdict in Supreme Court

Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) candidate Muhammad Saleh Bhootani on Tuesday challenged in the Supreme Court the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to recount votes in his constituency.

In his petition, he requested the court to annul the election commission’s decision of December 19 and the notification for recount of votes in his constituency. He contended that the election commission did not comply with the Supreme Court orders. He said the Supreme Court had direct the election commission to make a decision in line with the law of the land, but the election commission violated the Elections Act 2017 and the orders of the Supreme Court. 

The election commission had ordered recount of votes in Bhootani’s constituency on the application of Ali Hassan Zehri, a leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). 

Bhootani emerged as successful, securing the victory over his opponents with 30,910 votes, according to the initial results from PB-21. Later, the ECP put a pause on the electoral results and mandated a recount of the votes in the PB-21 constituency in February this year.