PML-N candidate wins PP-20 by-polls by huge margin

CHAKWAL: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Chaudhry Sultan Haider on Tuesday won the PP-20 by-election in Chakwal by a hefty margin of over twenty-nine thousand votes, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to unofficial and unverified results, the PML-N candidate has received 75,655 votes on the 227 polling stations within the constituency.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Tariq Mahmood Afzal secured 45,702 votes for the runner-up position, with a margin of 29,953 votes.  Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan candidate Nasir Abbas came third with 16,112 votes.

The PTI candidate also enjoyed the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). The PPP fielded Nawab Taimoor but later withdrew its candidate in favour of PTI while the PAT did not field any candidate.

The seat fell vacant on October 30 with the death of PML-N’s Chaudhry Liaquat Ali Khan who has won the seat seven times since 1985. He did not contest election between 2002 and 2008 due to the graduation requirement and the seat was contested by his wife.

In 2013 general elections, Chaudhry Liaquat contested the elections after the requirement was waived. He received 62,088 votes while PTI candidate Chaudhry Ali Nisar Khan received 32,827 votes and was placed third.

Independent candidate Chaudhry Ejaz Hussain Farhat was second with 35,570 votes. Even in 2013 general elections, there was difference of 29,261 votes between the candidates of PML-N and PTI.

The by polls were held on Tuesday from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. without any interruption. Other candidates includes Awami National Party’s Chaudhry Imran Qaisar and independent candidate Muhammad Tufail.

There were 279,530 registered voters in the constituency including 144,191 men and 35,339 women. There were 227 polling stations set up including 61 each for men and women and 105 for both.

Maryam Nawaz thanked the people of Chakwal for their support and believing in the PML-N.

“We bow our heads in gratitude to Allah for bestowing yet another victory upon us & humbly thank the ppl of Chakwal for believing in SHER,” she said in a statement on social media website Twitter.

Governor Sindh Muhammad Zubair also that the margin in 2013 election was 26000 and now was 29,000. “All the way PML-N,” he said.

In 2013 elections margin of victory was 26000. This time it’s close to 30000. All the way pmln

— Mohammad Zubair (@RealM_Zubair) January 9, 2018

The will of the people is like a stream of running water, it carves its own way, cutting through any obstacle that comes in its way! 🐅#PMLN

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) January 9, 2018