JHANG City News

Election symbols of independent
candidates changed in Jhang
From Our Correspondent
JHANG: On the directions of DCO/District Returning Officer Nadir Chattha, the returning officers (ROs) have changed election symbols of independent candidates allotted for the Local Government elections here.
Sources said that the symbols were changed allegedly on the wishes of PML-N parliamentarians. They said that the Election Commission of Pakistan had issued schedule for the elections of 90 union councils of the Jhang District Council and for 50 wards of Jhang Municipal Committee. The DCO had been appointed as the DRO and the officers of different government departments had been made as the returning officers to conduct the Local Government elections to be held on December 5, the sources added. After completion of the process of filling nomination papers, the ROs awarded election symbols to the candidates including the symbol of bucket, the sources informed. They claimed that the candidates of the PML-N objected on the allotment of bucket symbol and other prominent symbols to their opponents in the polls. The sources said that the ROs recalled the candidates whom were allowed prominent symbols to change their election symbols but the independent candidates refused to do so. Later, the parliamentarians of the ruling party approached the DCO/DRO and directions had been issued to the ROs to withdraw allotment of various symbols including bucket in the district, they claimed. Meanwhile, the independent candidates alleged that the ROs being the Punjab government officers giving protocol to the PML-N candidates in preparing polling stations plan and allotment of symbols. The independent candidates appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner to take notice of the issue. When contacted, DCO/DRO Nadir Chattha told The News that the ROs were directed to withdraw allotment of various election symbols after receiving complaints and to avoid law and order situation in the district.