Pakistan: PML-N emerges victorious in by-elections, claims 21 seats
Islamabad, Pakistan - The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N) celebrated as provisional results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) revealed its dominance in by-elections held on 21 national and provincial seats across the country, Dawn reported.
Despite the allegations of ‘record rigging’, temporary suspension of cellular services in certain districts of Punjab and Balochistan, and instances of violence, the PML-N has emerged victorious. However, a PML-N supporter lost his life in a clash outside a polling station in Narowal.
The by-polls held on five National Assembly (NA) seats - two from Punjab, two from Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and one from Sindh. Additionally, twelve provincial seats were up for grabs in Punjab, along with two each in KP and Balochistan. Repolling in all constituencies of Balochistan’s PB-50 (Qila Abdullah) was also conducted separately, as reported by Dawn.
According to the provisional results (Forms-47) issued by the ECP, the PML-N secured victory on two NA seats in Punjab, while the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and an independent candidate each claimed one seat in KP. Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) triumphed on the NA-196 seat from Sindh.
In Punjab, the PML-N clinched ten provincial seats, while the PPP and the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) won one each. KP saw one provincial seat each going to the SIC and an independent candidate. In Balochistan, the PML-N and the Balochistan National Party-mengal (BNP-M) each secured one provincial seat. Additionally, the Awami National Party (ANP) clinched a provincial seat from PB-50, where repolling was conducted.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz extended congratulations to the winning PMLN candidates, attributing their success to the public’s confidence in the party’s policies. She asserted that the PML-N was the true representative of the people.
However, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur alleged that the poor performance of the SICPTI alliance candidates was due to rigging. Expressing concerns during a press conference in Peshawar, CM Gandapur lamented that his party faced hindrances in campaigning, opening offices, and conducting rallies. He questioned the discrepancy in voter turnout between the by-elections and the general elections held on February 8, insinuating a case of severe rigging.
In Punjab, the PML-N secured victory on two NA constituencies and ten Punjab Assembly seats, as per the provisional ECP results, according to Dawn. In Lahore’s NA-119, PML-N’S Ali Parvez emerged victorious with 61,086 votes, while SIC’S Shahzad Farooq trailed with 34,197 votes.