QUETTA: PPP’s Ali Madad Jattak retained his Balochistan Assmebly seat in the by-election held in 15 polling stations of PB-45 Quetta on Sunday, according to unofficial results. Mr Jattak secured 6,883 votes in the by-election held on the Election Tribunal’s order. Nasarullah Zerey of the Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP) remained second with 4,122 votes, while JUI-F’s Mir Usman Pirkani received 3,731 votes. The voter turnout remained 35.36 per cent, with 17,752 valid votes. Losing candidates hold protest outside DC office over ‘rigging’ Mr Jattak was elected MPA in the Feb 8 general elections and was made Balochistan’s agriculture minister. However, his victory was declared void by an election tribunal on a petition submitted by Mir Pirkani, a JUI-F candidate from PB-45. The tribunal’s decision to order repolling in 15 stations was by Mr Jattak in the Supreme Court, but his plea was rejected. Mr Pirkani and Mr Zerey have rejected the by-election result and alleged that Mr Jattak was declared winner through “manipulation” of results in Form-47. Soon after the polling ended and initial results came out, the JUI-F and PkNAP alleged rigging in the election. The JUI-F provincial emir, Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey, called on party workers to gather in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office. The party leaders and workers gathered in front of the Quetta DC office for protest. While addressing the protesters outside DC office, Mr Wasey stated the JUI-F candidate had won from all 15 polling stations. He claimed that their election agents, assembly members, and officials were being prevented from entering DC office. Meanwhile, a statement issued by PPP’s Balochistan chapter announced the lead of their candidate. The PPP Balochistan statement mentioned that the opposition parties’ protests were an attempt to influence the election results. The statement claimed the opposition parties were trying to pressure the election staff. The PkNAP workers also gathered outside the DC office to protest the results. The local administration has deployed a heavy contingent of police and levies outside the DC office to meet any untoward situation. The protestors had blocked the gates of DC office and stopped vehicles from entering the premises. In its verdict upholding the decision of repolling, the Supreme Court invalidated Mr Jattak’s victory in February, regretting his votes increased dramatically from 195 to 5,107 through fraud, misrepresentation and manipulation of records. The court’s 25-page order said the election tribunal reached this conclusion after scrutinising the election material, record and relevant forms and “noted overwriting and cutting” on Form-45. “[T]he conclusion that the Form-45 produced by the returned candidate (appellant) are the product of fraud and misrepresentation for which not only the appellant Ali Madad Jattak, but also the RO of the said constituency is equally responsible.”