Salman Akram Raja, an independent candidate backed by PTI, has filed a challenge in the Lahore High Court regarding the refusal to include votes in the tally. Raja’s petition under NA-128 was heard by Justice Ali Baqir Najfi in Lahore High Court.
Raja informed the court that he was expelled from the returning officer’s office while the results for all constituencies were being compiled and Form 45 was being collected. He claimed that despite leading with 80,000 votes, the results were altered.
The Lahore High Court promptly demanded the returning officer under NA-128 to appear and explain the situation. The unofficial and non-final results from all 433 polling stations in NA-128 joint candidate of PML-N and IPP Aun Chaudhry securing over 172,000 votes.
Meanwhile, Salman Akram Raja, PTI’s supported independent candidate, remained in second place with over 159,000 votes. On the other hand, Raja has challenged the NA-128 constituency results in the Lahore High Court, alleging that despite a significant lead, the results were manipulated. He submitted a plea to the court, urging immediate issuance of the results and directing the returning officer to conduct vote counting in the presence of the candidates. It’s noteworthy that this constituency had been subject to seat adjustment between IPP and PML-N, and Nawaz Sharif had also cast his vote in this constituency.