ISLAMABAD: Of the total election petitions dismissed so far by election tribunals, set up after the 2013 general elections, PML-N tops the list with maximum number of rejected cases followed by PTI and PPP. According to the official data available with The News election petitions of 55 PML-N candidates who had contested in the 2013 elections for national and provincial assemblies but were defeated, have already been dismissed by the tribunals. In the case of PTI, its 43 election petitions have so far been dismissed whereas the PPP candidates have so far lost 42 cases in the tribunals. About the election petitions accepted by the tribunals so far, eight petitions of PML-N, six of PPP and five of PTI have been allowed. It is relevant to mention here that this correspondent in the story published in The News on Tuesday had inadvertently mentioned that the NA-125 success of PTI is Tehrik-e-Insaaf’s first victory. The error is regretted. In the National Assembly constituencies a total of 137 election petitions were filed by the losing candidates of different political parties as well as independent contestants. Of these PML-N and PTI lost 21 cases each in the tribunals. In the NA seats, the same number, 21 cases, of PTI and 19 cases of the PPP. The number of such rejected petitions of independent candidates or those belonging to other political parties is 49. For the NA seats three election petitions of PTI and two each of PPP and PML-N have so far been accepted. According to the details, the PML-N candidates lost their cases before the tribunals with regard to the following NA constituencies NA-9, NA-149, NA-164, NA-156, NA-23, NA-215, NA-6, NA-91, NA-208, NA-233, NA-223, NA-180, NA-187, NA-59, NA-55, NA-188, NA-192, NA-217, NA-121, NA-232 and NA-267. The PML-N losing candidates who got favorable decision from tribunals are from NA-19 and NA-108. The PTI candidates lost their cases before the Tribunals in the petitions challenging the election of NA-7, NA-256, NA-152, NA-170, NA-9, NA-221, NA-100, NA-69, NA-18, NA-20, NA-172, NA-251, NA-135, NA-51, NA-54, NA-107, NA-66, NA-34, NA-124, NA-205 and NA-187. The two PTI candidates got favourable decision from tribunals in NA-47 and NA-125 cases. In the case of NA-110, the PTI’s Usman Dar - who had challenged the victory of PML-N’s Kh Asif - is being shown in the Election Commission record as “independent candidate”. With regard to the NA election results, PPP’s election petitions dismissed by the tribunals pertain to NA-132, NA-258, NA-271, NA-116, NA-24, NA-190, NA-238, NA-249, NA-139, NA-171, NA-253, NA-216, NA-234, NA-93, NA-214, NA-241, NA-252, NA-257 and NA-111. The PPP candidates got favourable decisions from tribunals in NA-211, NA-153, NA-202 and NA-39 (petition is partly accepted). In the Punjab Assembly election, the PTI candidates have lost 17 cases and won 3 in the tribunals. In these elections, the PML-N candidates lost 15 cases while in three cases their petitions have been accepted. The PPP lost seven cases while it won only one case. In the Sindh Assembly elections, a total of eight petitions of PPP candidates, three of PTI, seven of PMLN, 12 of PMLF, eight of Jamaat-e-Islami have so been dismissed. Two petitions of PML-N, one of PMLF, one of JI and three others have been accepted by the tribunals. In the KPK provincial assembly elections, nine petitions of PML-N candidates, seven of JUI-F, five of PPP and one of PTI have so far been rejected by the tribunals. In Balochistan assembly elections, PTI lost one, PPP three and PML-N lost five cases in the election tribunals. Other political parties and independent candidates lost 40 cases in the tribunals. According to the ECP data, of 387 petitions challenging the 2013 elections (both national and provincial assemblies) 357 cases have so far been disposed of by the election tribunals. Some 30 petitions are still pending before the tribunals.
