Unofficial late-night results show, ruling party secures 2 NA, one PA seats while in clear lead in majority of other seats CEC thanks Punjab, KP govts for ensuring peaceful bye-elections.
LAHORE – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is leading the race in by-elections for the six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats conducted across Punjab including NA-18 (Haripur) from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.
According to unofficial results, the PML-N secured three out of 6 National Assembly seats. Similarly, the ruling party bagged
The seats had fallen vacant largely due to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers convicted in the cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. The constituencies where the by-elections were held included NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal), NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan), PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal) and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).
Among the constituencies drawing the most attention were NA-18 and NA-129. In NA-18 Haripur, Shehnaz Ayub, spouse of PTI-backed disqualified MNA Omar Ayub Khan contested against PML-N’s Babar Nawaz. In Lahore’s NA-129, the late Mian Azhar’s nephew, Chaudhry Arsalan Ahmad, contested against PML-N’s Hafiz Mian Nauman. The seat was previously held by Mian Azhar, father of PTI’s Hammad Azhar.
The Imran Khan-founded party had officially boycotted the by-elections in all constituencies except Lahore and Haripur, while the PML-N fielded its candidates on all seats except in Muzaffargarh, and the PPP contested on two NA and one Punjab seat.
The vote, which began at 8am under strict security measures, continued uninterrupted until closing time at 5pm.
According to the early results, PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Tufail Jutt won the NA-143 Sahiwal-3 by-election with 136,313 votes, leaving behind all competitors.
Independent candidate Zarar Akbar finished in second place with 13,120 votes.
Election officials said the voter turnout remained low, standing at around 24 per cent, as many voters chose to stay away from the polls.
Similarly, PML-N candidate for NA-129 constituency, Hafiz Muhammad Nauman, secured the seat by defeating his rival candidate Chaudhry Arsalan Ahmad, who is the nephew of late Mian Azhar. The seat was previously held by Mian Azhar, the father of PTI’s Hammad Azhar.
In NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan, unofficial results from 108 polling stations placed PML-N’s Mehmood Qadir Leghari in the lead with 40,527 votes, followed by PPP candidate Sardar Dost Khosa, who secured 19,008 votes.
In NA-96 Faisalabad-II, PML-N candidate Bilal Chaudhry led with 63,957 votes, based on unofficial results from 153 polling stations. Independent candidate Malik Nawab Sher Waseer followed with 21,067 votes.
In NA-104 Faisalabad-10, unconfirmed results from 177 of 375 polling stations showed PML-N’s Daniyal Ahmed was ahead with 29,338 votes against his rival candidate.
According to unofficial reports, in NA-18 — Haripur, PML-N’s Babar Nawaz Khan was leading the contest, with 86,791 votes secured in the unofficial results of 302 polling stations from a total of 602 stations.
PTI-backed independent Shehrnaz Omar Ayub followed with 60,954 votes.
As many as nine candidates, including Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Erum Fatima, were in the race for the seat.
Six other independent candidates also filed their papers as well. The constituency has a little over 753,000 voters.
The seat had fallen vacant after PTI leader Omar Ayub’s disqualification in a May 9 case.
NA-96 Faisalabad-2: From 163 of 345 polling stations, unofficial and unconfirmed results showed PML-N’s Muhammad Bilal Badar was leading with 83,034 votes.
In NA-185 — DG Khan, PML-N’s Mahmood Qadir Leghari was leading with 55,418 votes in unofficial and unconfirmed results from 145 of the total 226 polling stations.
PPP’s Dost Muhammad Khosa was the second with 28,789 votes in unofficial and unconfirmed results.
As many as eight candidates were contesting for the seat, which became vacant after Zartaj Gul Wazir’s disqualification.
Unofficial and unconfirmed results from 175 of 190 polling stations of PP-116 Faisalabad-19 showed PML-N’s Ahmad Shehryar was leading with 45,674 votes till the late night report compilation. Independent candidate Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser followed with 10,294 votes.
According to unofficial results, PML-N candidate for PP-203, Chaudhry Hanif Jutt won the seat with clear margin.
Similarly, in PP-115 Faisalabad-18, unofficial results from 147 of 159 polling stations placed PML-N’s Muhammad Tahir Pervaiz was in the lead with 35,620 votes, while independent candidate Muhammad Asghar had secured 1,713 votes.
In PP-73 — Sargodha, PML-N’s Mian Sultan Ali Ranjha was leading the other four independent candidates. The seat was declared vacant after PTI’s Ansar Iqbal Heral was disqualified and later given a 10-year sentence in a May 9 case.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has said that the by-elections were held peacefully and the voting process concluded smoothly.
Speaking to media at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office, he said that there were several reasons for low voter turnout.
He also thanked the governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their support in ensuring smooth polling.
He added that voter interest was relatively low in today’s by-polls because there was no significant change in the “numbers game,” referring to the contesting candidates and political dynamics.
He said that District Returning Officers (DROs) had submitted reports and that the commission itself had taken notice of certain complaints.
However, he emphasised that no unusual or serious complaints had been reported during today’s by-elections.
He also mentioned that PML-N minister Talal Chaudhry has been summoned for a hearing tomorrow over violating ECP’s code of conduct in Faisalabad.
Raja highlighted that in local government elections, the commission had disqualified a minister and a candidate for violating the code of conduct, stressing that legal frameworks guide all electoral decisions.
He added that while election violations occur worldwide, the Election Commission sends recommendations to the government for improvements.
Tight security arrangements were implemented for the elections in accordance with Election Commission directives, with additional personnel deployed at sensitive locations. Special provisions have been made for the convenience of voters, including the elderly and women.
A total of 2,792 polling stations were established for the by-elections, with 408 designated as highly sensitive and 1,032 marked as sensitive. Over 20,000 security personnel were deployed to maintain law and order situation. Mobile phones were not permitted inside polling stations to ensure a secure and orderly voting process.
According to officials, all polling stations have walk-through gates and separate booths for women. Special ramps and staff have been arranged to assist the elderly and differently-abled citizens, facilitating smooth voting.
The Punjab government has deployed teams from the “Clean Punjab” initiative to manage sanitation at polling stations.
