GUJRANWALA: After a vote recount, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Azhar Qayyum Nahra won NA-81 Gujranwala, defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rival Chaudhry Bilal Ejaz by 3,201 votes.
Following the recount of votes, the Returning Officer (RO) released the NA-81 results, pronouncing PML-N’s Azhar the winner with a 3,201-vote margin.
Prior to this development, PTI-backed Bilal won the National Assembly seat by a margin of 7,791 votes, but his victory was disputed by PML-N candidate Azhar.
Following a petition, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered a recount of votes in 75 polling stations.
Earlier, the top electoral authority announced Khan Bahadar Doggar of the Nawaz-led party as the returning winning candidate from the constituency.
The PTI-backed candidate, Chaudhry Umair Wasi Zafar, was proclaimed the winner of this constituency with a lead of almost 4,000 votes, and notification of his victory was issued.
However, on the plea of the losing PML-N candidate, the panel ordered a recount on March 12 at the Election panel’s office in Faisalabad. After recounting, the PML-N candidate received more votes than the preceding candidate and was declared the winner.
