ELECTION COURT TO PROBE ASTON POLL

01-08-2007

Claims that a Birmingham Labour councillor told lies about an opponent are to be investigated by an Electoral Court.

Saeed Aehmed, who was defeated in the Aston ward in the May elections, alleges that the winning candidate Muhammed Afzal and his supporters spread the false rumour that he had been arrested for postal voting fraud.

The court, which is due to sit in October, could order a bye-election or even replace Mr Afzal with Mr Aehmed - who lost the count by 679 votes.

Ironically Aehmed was himself the subject of a complaint by Labour in the run up to the May vote for changing his name; before switching to the Lib Dems, he’d previously stood for them (and for the Justice Party) as Naim Ahmed.

It was claimed that he’s inserted an extra “e” into his surname so that he would be at the top of the ballot paper.

Labour have indicated that they will contest the allegations against Muhammed Afzal.

It’s not the first time Aston has been at the centre of bitter political wrangling; postal voting fraud was proved both there and in Bordesley Green in the 2004 election and five Labour councillors were booted out as a result.