ECP directed to finalise Daska re-poll arrangements

ISLAMABAD: After the Supreme Court’s upholding of re-election decision in NA-75 Daska constituency, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary to rush to Lahore and finalise electoral exercise arrangements.

He asked the secretary to hold consultations with all stakeholders. He also said that relevant wings of the Election Commission Secretariat should also be kept open on Saturday and Sunday. He emphasised ensuring that by-polls in the constituency were clean, transparent and impartial.

“The shortcomings of the by-elections should not be repeated,” said the CEC. The re-poll is scheduled for April 10. The ECP had rescheduled the by-election, as March 18 was set for re-polling in NA-75 constituency earlier. The decision had been taken to make the process of re-polling more transparent and foolproof. The decision came after the Punjab government informed the Election Commission that all district and divisional officers had been suspended or transferred and new officers would require some time to understand the administrative situation. The ECP ordered immediate appointment of officers against all vacant administrative posts and fixed April 10 as the new date for re-polling.

In a related development, the ECP had fixed April 6 as the last date for receipt of applications for exercising the right to vote through postal ballot papers for the re-poll in Daska. The ECP had also directed that the persons appointed by the returning officer, including the police personnel, for discharge of duties in connection with the election at the police stations other than at which they are entitled to cast their vote are advised to apply for postal ballot to the returning officer within three days of their appointment. Likewise, those, who have applied for issuance of postal ballot, are not entitled to cast vote in person during the election, it said.