The ruling PML-N emerged victorious in by-elections held on 21 national and provincial seats, according to provisional results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
On Sunday, by-polls were held across the country amid allegations of “record rigging”, temporary suspension of cellular services in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan and multiple incidents of violence, leading to the death of a PML-N supporter in a clash outside a Narowal polling station.
By-elections were held on five NA seats, including two from Punjab, two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one from Sindh. Further, 12 provincial seats were also up for grabs in Punjab as well as two each in KP and Balochistan.
Separately, re-polling in all constituencies of Balochistan’s PB-50 (Qila Abdullah) was also held.
According to the provisional results (Forms-47) issued by the ECP, out of the five NA seats, the PML-N won two from Punjab while the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and an independent candidate won one each from KP. Meanwhile, the PPP clinched the NA-196 seat from Sindh.
In Punjab, the PML-N grabbed 10 provincial seats while the PPP and the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) won one each. In KP, one provincial seat each went to the SIC and an independent candidate.
In Balochistan, the PML-N and the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) won one provincial seat each. Separately, the Awami National Party (ANP) also won a provincial seat from PB-50, where re-polling was conducted.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz congratulated her party’s winning candidate on their performance in the by-elections, according to Radio Pakistan.She said their success reflected the people’s confidence in the party’s policies., adding that the PML-N was the real representative party of the public.
In Punjab, the PML-N won two NA constituencies and 10 Punjab Assembly seats while the PPP and IPP also won one provincial seat each, according to the provisional ECP results.
PML-N’s Ali Parvez won Lahore’s NA-119 with 61,086 votes while SIC’s Shahzad Farooq got 34,197 votes. The PML-N also won Kasur’s NA-132, where its candidate Rasheed Ahmad Khan got 146,849 votes while Sardar Hussain Dogar of the SIC garnered 90,980 votes.
Lahore’s PP-146 was won by Rashid Minhas of the PML-N with 31,499 votes while SIC’s Mohammad Yusuf came second with 25,781 votes.
