By-election: PPP retains NA-213 with thumping win

UMARKOT: Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Saba Talpur clinched by-election in NA 213 (Umarkot) with a lead of over 74,000 votes, as per unofficial and unannounced results, ARY News reported.

The PPP candidate secured the seat after bagging 148,965 votes followed by Lal Malhi, an independent candidate fielded by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other opposition parties, as per results of all 498 polling stations of the constituency.

Lal Malhi could only managed to get 74,515 votes. The NA 213 seat fell vacant after demise of PPP MNA leader Nawab Yousaf Talpur.

The PPP supporters celebrated their victory, with large crowds gathering at residence of Saba Talpur. Meanwhile, opposition party workers held a sit-in protest outside the DRO office, alleging ‘rigging’ in the poll.

A total of 18 candidates contested for the seat; however, the real contest was expected between PPP’s Saba Talpur and joint opposition candidate Lal Malhi.

According to the Election Commission, the total number of registered voters in the constituency stands at 608,997, including 287,311 women.

Tight security measures were adopted for the by-election, with 4,002 police personnel deployed at polling stations. The Ministry of Interior had also issued a notification for the deployment of Rangers.

Among the polling stations, 269 were declared sensitive and 91 as highly sensitive. The electoral process was closely monitored to ensure transparency and security throughout the day.