The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a written decision regarding the election in NA 83 and 85 Sargodha, which were postponed due to the death of a candidate. The ECP has ordered to hold re-polling in both constituencies on February 8, 2024, reported 24NewsHD TV channel Tuesday.
According to the decision, the independent candidate Sadiq Ali, died on January 2, 2024, but his son Abdus Salam made a false statement before the returning officers (ROs) that his father died on January 15, 2024. The ROs were misled by this statement and announced the postponement of the election.
The ECP said that it received complaints from other candidates and voters that the election was not held in a fair and transparent manner.
The ECP also conducted an inquiry and found out that the deceased candidate's wife, daughter and imam of the mosque confirmed that he died on January 2, 2024.
The ECP said that this was a clear case of corrupt practice and ordered to take legal action against Abdus Salam for violating the election laws.