A COMMUNITY election in Southampton had to be abandoned after it descended into farce with masses of voters turning up with marked ballot papers.

Police were called to keep order as hundreds arrived at the Newtown Youth Centre to cast votes to decide the future leadership of the city’s Pakistan Welfare Association (PWA).

But independent election chiefs were forced to shut down the polling station within hours when it become clear copied ballot papers, with instructions on who to vote for among the 38 candidates, were being handed out outside.

Observers witnessed sample ballot papers being marked up on car bonnets. The election – the first in years – was the fourth attempt in recent months to allow the 700 members of association to choose a new 15- strong executive committee.

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Previous dates clashed with community events then a former election commissioner quit in a row over voter lists. The election pitched most of the existing committee against a fresh group of candidates standing as the “united panel”, led by former Southampton Labour party official Khalid Farooq.

It was cancelled after Mr Farooq’s supporters ignored warnings by independent observers to stop distributing fistfuls of sample ballot papers with crosses next to his party’s candidates.

Conservative city councillor and parliamentary candidate for Southampton Test Jeremy Moulton, who volunteered to act as an independent election commissioner, ruled candidates were using undue influence on electors.

Hastily scrawled posters urging voters to shun Mr Farooq’s party were also being circulated among the queuing crowds.

Mr Farooq, who was forced to resign from the Labour party earlier this year after he admitted benefit fraud, insisted the practice had been agreed with PWA general secretary Ahmed Hussain in order to “educate”

voters who could not read and write, particularly women.

He admitted copying 3,000 sample ballot papers, which had been handed out in the preceding week.

But Mr Hussain said he had not agreed the marked papers could be brought to the polling station, which had an interpreter on hand. He said he wanted “fair and square” elections.

Mr Hussain said Mr Farooq had now been suspended from the PWA for his conduct.

Mr Farooq accused Mr Hussain of running a “negative campaign”

in a bid to cling to power.

He said had wanted to make the association more democratic after Mr Hussain’s failure to hold elections for years – in “violation”

of the PWA’s constitution.

Mr Hussain claimed: “Not many people were interested.”

Mr Farooq, who is also standing for election as an independent councillor for the Bevois ward this Thursday, said he wanted to work for a community centre, arrange more play activities for kids, language classes and computer training for the Pakistani community among other pledges. Mr Hussain said the PWA committee was considering how to restage the election.

■ Mr Farooq was convicted of benefit fraud after he failed to declare that he, or his partner, owned no other property when filling out jobseeker allowance forms. The 41-year-old, of Radcliffe Road, Southampton, was ordered to do 80 hours unpaid community work and pay Southampton City Council £150 in costs.