Questions are mounting in the Irving City Council District 3 race after a late-night ballot drop from a polling site at the BAPS Hindu Temple dramatically altered the outcome and pushed candidate Kejal Patel into a runoff.
At roughly 11 p.m., Patel appeared headed for a distant third-place finish behind incumbent Abdul Khabeer and challenger Tammam Alwan, both associated with the Islamic Center of Irving.
However, final results showed Khabeer receiving 747 votes, Patel receiving 695 votes, and Alwan receiving 691 votes, leaving Patel ahead of Alwan by only four votes and advancing her into the runoff.
According to records reviewed by The Dallas Express, 114 votes were added in the final update, with Patel receiving 104, Alwan 8, and Khabeer 2.
Late Ballot Surge from BAPS Temple Pushes Patel into Runoff by 4 Votes
A significant batch of 114 votes was added late on election night, reportedly from the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Hindu Temple) polling site, with Kejal Patel receiving approximately 104 of those votes. The late surge pushed Patel into second place by just four votes over Tammam Alwan (695 to 691), advancing her to a runoff against incumbent Abdul Khabeer.
The race also comes amid ongoing political battles in Irving surrounding the proposed Las Vegas Sands casino development.
The Irving race comes after years of heated political battles in the city. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Irving politics drew statewide attention during debates surrounding the proposed Las Vegas Sands development and concerns over large outside political spending.
Both Khabeer and Alwan have been critical of casino development proposals in Irving, while Patel has remained largely quiet on the issue publicly.
A recount is now officially underway after Alwan filed a petition challenging the race results.
“To every volunteer, donor, and voter who showed up for this campaign, thank you,” Alwan said in a statement provided to The Dallas Express. “This update is for you and for every District 3 resident who deserves to know their vote was counted accurately.”
Alwan noted the race ended with only a four-vote margin and said Texas law allows candidates to request a recount in such close elections.
“My petition for a recount has been officially filed and accepted,” Alwan stated, adding that a manual hand count recount of all paper ballots has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 12.
Alwan Raises Election Integrity Concerns Over Voter Residency and Data Discrepancies
Alwan also pointed to concerns raised by independent observers and campaign volunteers who reviewed Dallas County election data.
“When independent observers and campaign volunteers reviewed the data Dallas County published on their own website, numerical inconsistencies between their official reported totals and their own internal spreadsheets were found,” Alwan said. “A hand count of the physical paper ballots is the only way to verify whether the electronic results accurately reflect what voters actually marked.”
The investigation document reviewed by The Dallas Express alleges discrepancies between Dallas County Elections spreadsheets and publicly reported totals.
The report also identified five voters with allegedly questionable residency records. Two voters were allegedly registered at a hotel near DFW Airport, while three others were registered at the BAPS Hindu Temple address itself, despite there being no known residences at the location.
Questions were also raised regarding Patel’s residency. According to the report, the home address listed on her campaign filings is allegedly owned by relatives and pays taxes into Irving ISD, while her children reportedly attend Coppell ISD. The report additionally notes that her husband’s voter registration became effective one day before the election.
“The Irving City Council District 3 race ended with a 4 vote margin,” Alwan stated. “Election integrity is a standard I strongly believe in. I ran on transparency and accountability, and I’m holding that standard now, regardless of the outcome.”
Several claims raised by Alwan’s campaign, including the origin of the late ballot batch, potential residency irregularities involving five voters, and questions surrounding Kejal Patel’s residency and her husband’s voter registration, remain unverified allegations at this time.
Dallas County Elections has not yet issued a detailed response to these concerns. The outcome of the upcoming manual recount, scheduled for May 12, is expected to provide further clarity on the accuracy of the reported results.
The Dallas Express reached out to Kejal Patel and Dallas County Elections for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
