Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 'decides to vacate' NA-196 seat

LARKANA: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has ‘decided to vacate’ NA-196 Qambar-Shadadkot seat, the seat from where Benazir Bhutto contested elections, ARY News reported on Friday.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was declared the winner of National Assembly constituency NA-196 Shehdadkot-I with 85,370 votes.

His runner-up was Jamait Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl group (JUI-F) candidate Nasir Mehmood, who bagged 34,499 votes.

According to details, the former foreign minister has decided to keep NA-194, Larkana-I seat and to vacate NA-196, from where he was also declared the winner in the February 8 general elections.

Sources privy to the development said, Asifa Bhutto Zardari will likely contest a by-election on NA-196.

Read more: ECP directs multi-seat winners to vacate extra seats

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday directed candidates who have won more than one seat in the 8th February General Elections to retain only one seat of their choice and vacate others.

As per details, the ECP urged the candidates who emerged victorious from multiple constituencies to vacate the extra seats before administering the oath.

“Alternatively, by Article 223(2), if no action is taken within 30 days, all seats, except the one for which the candidate is ultimately declared successful, will be deemed vacant,” the ECP maintained.