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KASUR: Election Commission of Pakistan has declared independent candidate Malik Raheed Ahmed winner of the NA-140 by-polls, Geo News reported

ECP sources told Geo News that after the final re-count Rasheed Ahmed clutched 42,295 ballots to beat his independent rival Azimmuddin Lakhvi by 89 votes as the latter's total was down at 47,206.

Earlier, the by-polls in the said constituency had run into controversy after the initially declared results were changed late in the night leading to the cancellation of the result.

According to initial results, Azeemuddin Lakhvi was reported to have won the seat outvoting Malik Rasheed Khan, but the tables turned in the favour of the latter after the final tally by ECP.

Upon this Lakhvi’s supporters started protestations staging sit-ins and all.

To this ECP offered a re-count in the Sunday afternoon in the presence of both parties to settle the matter, which again turned out to be favouring Rasheed Ahmed giving rise to more resistance from the Lakhvi party.

Later the votes were reckoned for four times but Lakhvi was not satisfied and kept boycotting the repeated recounts.