The ruling PMLN party has won 12 of the 21 constituencies that went to polls on Sunday in one of the largest by-polls in the country, according to preliminary and unofficial results.

Aaj News received preliminary, unofficial results as the counting of votes was underway for 21 national and provincial seats on Sunday after polling concluded amid the temporary suspension of cellular and internet services in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan to “safeguard” the electoral process.

The PML-N won both national assembly constituencies in Punjab. It also won at least 9 provincial assembly seats in the province and additionally, it secured one Balochistan Assembly seat, brining the total number of constituencies it won to 12.

PMLN’s allies IPP and PMLQ won one seat each in the Punjab province where PTI’s front SIC was unable to win a single seat. PPP one one Punjab Assembly seat and one national Assembly seat.

Results for three PA constituencies were still pending as of Monday morning.

In KP, independent candidate Mubarak Zaib defeated SIC candidates on a National Assembly and a provincial assembly seat in Bajur. Zaib’s brother Rehan was killed a day before February 8 polls.

PTI how won one NA seat from Dera Ismail Khan where CM Ganadpur’s brother Faisal Amin emerged as the winner. PTI/SIC also won one provincial seat from Kohat.

PPP won NA seat from Sindh’s Qambar Shahdadkot.

The BNP-M also got one provincial seat in Balochistan.

The election was held for five National Assembly, 12 Punjab Assembly, two Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and two Balochistan Assembly seats.

Polling began without interruption at 8am and concluded at 5pm for seats vacated by candidates who won multiple seats or where election was postponed in the Feb 8 general elections due to the death of a candidate.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the repolling in PB 50 Kalla Abdullah was also held.

Unofficial results

Below is the list of unofficial and unverified election results received so far by Aaj News.

NA-196 in Sindh’s Qambar Shahdadkot

• PPP candidate Khursheed Junejo got 91,581 votes
• TLP candidate Muhammad Ali got a mere 2,763 votes

PK-91 in KP’s Kohat

• SIC candidate Dawood Shah leads with 21,852 votes
• Independent candidate Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi got 12,581 votes

NA-44 in KP’s DI Khan

• SIC candidate Faisal Amin Gandapur received 56,995 votes
• PPP candidate Rasheed Khan Kundi got 9,533 votes

NA-8 in KP’s Bajaur

• Independent candidate Mubarak Zeb Khan got 3,268 votes
• SIC’s Gul Zafar bagged 1,693 votes

NA-132 in Punjab’s Kasur

• PML-N’s Malik Rashid Ahmed Khan got 142,835 votes
• SIC’s Sardar Muhammad Hussain Dogar received 89,589 votes

PP-36 in Punjab’s Wazirabad

• PML-N’s Adnan Afzal Chattha got 5,123 votes
• SIC candidate Muhammad Fayyaz Chattha got 4,801 votes

PP-22 in Balochistan’s Lasbela

• PML-N leader Zareen Magsi got 49,777 votes
• Independent candidate Shahnawaz Jamoot bagged 3,869 votes

PP-32 in Punjab’s Gujrat

• PML-Q candidate Musa Ilahi got 63,536 votes
• SIC leader Pervaiz Ilahi got 18,237 votes

PP-290 in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan

• PML-N candidate Ali Ahmed Laghari got 19,675 votes
• Independent candidate Sardar Muhiuddin Khosa got 4,532 votes

PP-149 in Punjab’s Lahore

• IPP candidate Shoaib Siddiqui got 38,537 votes
• SIC candidate Zeeshan Haider got 24,206 votes

PP-147 in Punjab’s Lahore

• PML-N leader Malik Riaz got 31,860 votes
• SIC candidate Muhammad Khan Madni got 16,636 votes

PP-158 in Punjab’s Lahore

• PML-N candidate Chaudhry Nawaz got 39,946 votes
• SIC candidate Moonis Ilahi bagged 27,980 votes

NA-119 in Punjab’s Lahore

• PML-N candidate Ali Pervazi got 60,918 votes
• SIC candidate Shehzad Farooq bagged 34,094 votes

PP-139 in Punjab’s Sheikhupura

• PML-N candidate Rana Afzaal Hussain got 46,585 votes
• SIC candidate Ijaz Bhatti got 29,833 votes

PB-20 in Balochistan’s Khuzdar

• BNP-M leader Jahanzaib Mengal got 30,445 votes
• Independent candidate Shafiqur Rehman got 14,311 votes

PB-164 in Punjab’s Lahore

• PML-N candidate Rashid Minhas got 31,499 votes
• SIC candidate Yousuf Miyo got 25,781 votes

PB-54 in Punjab’s Narowal

• PML-N leader Ahmed Iqbal got 60,351 votes
• SIC leader Awais Qasim got 46,686 votes

PB-93 in Punjab’s Bhakkar

• PML-N leader Saeed Akbar Nawani got 60,021 votes
• Independent candidate Dr Afzal Khan got 56,124 votes

PB-22 in Punjab’s Talagang

• PML-N leader Malik Falak Sher Awan got 55,583 votes
• SIC leader Hakeem Nisar got 47,928 votes

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated newly elected party’s lawmakers and thanked the people for trusting the party.

Background

The polling for NA-8 Bajaur and PK-22 Bajaur was delayed on February 8 following the assassination of a candidate, Rehan Zeb Khan. Additionally, polling will take place in NA-44 Dera Ismail Khan, where the National Assembly seat was relinquished by Ali Amin Gandapur, who opted to retain his provincial assembly seat in order to assume the role of KP’s chief minister.

Similarly, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif vacated her NA-119 seat in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, choosing instead to keep the PP-159 constituency that she also won.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif won elections on two provincial and National Assembly seats. He left the NA-132 Kasur and Lahore’s PP-158 and PP-164 seats vacant, preferring to retain the NA-123 Lahore constituency.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari won two National Assembly seats. He retained the NA-194 Larkana constituency, leaving the NA-196 seat in Qamber Shahdadkot vacant.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) provided 6.23 million ballot papers to the relevant Returning Officers (ROs) for the upcoming by-elections in 21 constituencies.

Approximately 2.55 million Pakistanis are expected to participate in voting for the five National Assembly constituencies, while around 3.61 million individuals will cast their votes for 16 provincial assembly seats nationwide.

A total of 174 candidates are contesting in the by-elections for 12 provincial constituencies in Punjab, where the voter count stands at approximately 4.04 million.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the by-elections for two provincial constituencies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have a total of 1.47 million voters. In the race, there are 49 candidates, and 892 polling stations have been set up, with 139 identified as sensitive.

In NA-196 in Sindh, two candidates will compete, with 423,781 voters eligible to cast their ballots across 303 polling stations, 158 of which are sensitive, according to the ECP.

The ECP has announced that by-elections will take place for two provincial constituencies, PB-20 and PB-22, in Balochistan. A total of 396,246 voters in the province will participate, with 354 polling stations designated for the process.

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Nine candidates, including Ali Pervaiz and Shehzad Farooq, are vying for the National Assembly seat NA-119, while 11 candidates, including PML-N nominee Malik Riaz independent Muhammad Khan Madani, are competing in PP-147.

Additionally, 14 candidates, including Muhammad Shoaib Siddiqui and Qaiser Shehzad from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, are contesting in PP-149. In PP-158, there are 22 candidates, with Chaudhry Nawaz and Moonis Elahi of the Sunni Unity Council among them.

Furthermore, PP-164 has 20 candidates in the fray, with PML-N leader Rashid Minhas and Muhammad Yusuf of the Sunni Ittehad Council among the contenders.