In an unusual electoral turnabout, the Election Commission of Pakistan has shifted the victory in NA-79 from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) after a comprehensive recount.
On February 8, 2024, during the initial count, PML-N’s candidate, Zulfiqar Bhinder, was defeated by PTI’s Ehsan Ullah Wark by 4,388 votes. However, after a recount, it was determined that Bhinder received 95,604 votes, surpassing Wark’s 92,581. This recount effectively reversed the original outcome, giving Bhinder a winning margin of 3,023 votes.
The recount, ordered by the Election Commission on August 27, was held in the constituency of NA-79 in Gujranwala. The directive was to include all votes, even those previously rejected. The recount was conducted in the presence of all candidates involved under the supervision of the District Returning Officer, who was tasked with completing the process and updating the results on a new Form 49 within two days.
The commission decided to conduct a recount after reviewing the initial results and the legal arguments presented by the lawyers of the respective parties. Citing Article 218(3) of the Constitution, Sections 4, 8(b) and (c), and 95 of the Elections Act 2017, the Election Commission noted that the small margin of votes between the first- and second-place candidates justified a recount.
According to Section 95(5) of the Elections Act 2017, a recount is mandated if the vote difference is less than 8,000, and the presence of 9,300 rejected votes further underscored the need for this action. The revised results and the subsequent declaration of the winning candidate will follow the submission and verification of the revised electoral forms.
