By-elections in Punjab, KP remain peaceful: CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has said that the by-elections across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained peaceful today.

The CEC made the statement while visiting the ECP monitoring centre, where he expressed gratitude to Punjab and KP for their cooperation in the holding of the by-polls.

Sikandar Sultan Raja said that voter turnout always remains lower during by-elections.

He said that no change would occur in the parliament through this election. This was the reason the turnout remained low.

Earlier, unofficial and provisional results continued to come in after polling ended in six National Assembly constituencies and seven Punjab Assembly constituencies.

Polling station doors closed at the end of voting hours, although voters already inside were allowed to cast their ballots.

Polling in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh and Haripur began at 8 am and continued until 5 pm. Voters placed stamps on the names and symbols of their preferred candidates.

Out of 2,792 polling stations across all constituencies, 408 were declared highly sensitive and 1,032 sensitive. More than 20,000 personnel were deployed for security duties.

NA-18 Haripur

Nine candidates contested the by-election in NA-18 Haripur. A close contest was expected among the PTI-backed independent candidate Shehrnaz, the PML-N candidate Babar Nawaz Khan and the PPP candidate Erum Fatima. The seat fell vacant after PTI’s Umar Ayub lost eligibility following conviction in the 9 May case.

According to results from 30 polling stations, PML-N’s Babar Nawaz Khan led with 7,109 votes, while the independent candidate Shehrnaz Umar Ayub secured 5,518 votes.

NA-96, NA-104 Faisalabad

Sixteen candidates contested the NA-96 Faisalabad seat. Here, PML-N’s Bilal Badar Chaudhry faced several independent candidates. The seat fell vacant after PTI’s Rai Haider Ali Kharal lost eligibility.

Results from 40 polling stations showed PML-N’s Bilal Badar Chaudhry in the lead with 7,755 votes, while the independent candidate Malik Nawab Sher Waseer followed with 4,762 votes.

In NA-104 Faisalabad, PML-N’s Raja Danial contested against four independent candidates. The seat fell vacant after the conviction of Sunni Ittehad Council chairman Hamid Raza in the 9 May case.

Unofficial results from 66 polling stations placed PML-N’s Raja Danial ahead with 7,632 votes, while the independent candidate Rana Adnan secured 3,822 votes.

NA-129 Lahore

The by-election in NA-129 Lahore followed the death of Mian Muhammad Azhar, father of former federal minister Hammad Azhar.

According to unofficial results from 63 polling stations, PML-N’s Mian Nauman led with 5,992 votes and the independent candidate Chaudhry Arsalan followed with 3,934 votes.

NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan

Eight candidates contested the NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan seat. A close contest was expected between PML-N’s Sardar Mehmood Qadir Leghari and PPP’s Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa. The seat fell vacant after PTI’s Zartaj Gul Wazir lost eligibility following conviction in the 9 May case.

Results from 18 polling stations showed PML-N’s Sardar Mehmood Qadir Leghari in the lead with 11,224 votes, while PPP’s Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa trailed with 4,432 votes.

NA-143 Sahiwal

The NA-143 Sahiwal seat fell vacant after PTI-backed candidate Rai Hasan Nawaz received a conviction from an anti-terrorism court, which resulted in loss of eligibility.

Results from 55 polling stations in Chichawatni showed PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Tufail Jutt ahead with 17,989 votes, while the independent candidate Zarrar Akbar followed with 1,891 votes.

Punjab Assembly constituencies

By-elections also took place on seven Punjab Assembly seats: PP-73 Sargodha, PP-87 Mianwali, PP-98 Faisalabad, PP-115 Faisalabad, PP-116 Faisalabad, PP-203 Faisalabad and PP-269 Muzaffargarh.