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.
Below is the list of unofficial and unverified election results received so far by Aaj News.
In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated newly elected party’s lawmakers and thanked the people for trusting the party.
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.
Also, read this
New political party will be launched in next two to three months, says Abbasi
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.
