In Pakistan’s general election of 2024, a Hindu politician has defeated candidates from religious parties after winning the popular vote by a large margin.

Mahesh Kumar Malani contested a National Assembly seat from Sindh’s Tharparkar region as a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, the political party led by Benazir Bhutto’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Malani who has been elected to provincial and national assemblies at least twice in the past, faced rivals from religious parties Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) and Jamiat Ulema Pakistan.

His prime opponet was fomer Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, who was representing the Grand Democratic Alliance.

Malani secured 132,061 vote against Rahim’s 113,346. His rival from religious parties could win less than 2,500 votes.

In the 2018 general election, Malani became the first non-Muslim candidate in Pakistan to win a general seat for the National Assembly when he secured 51.14% votes in the same constituency, named as NA-222 back then.