The ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on Sunday appeared to win almost all constituencies under contest in by-elections for six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats though critics said the victory was marred by low voter turnout and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s boycott of 11 seats.
All but one of the seats up for grabs fell vacant after the disqualification of PTI lawmakers convicted in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots. The notable exception was NA-129 (Lahore), which fell vacant after the death of PTI lawmaker Mian Azhar.
Overall, by-polls were held in NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal) and NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan), as well as PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal) and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).
Of these constituencies, the PTI fielded candidates only in NA-18 and NA-129. The ruling PMLN contested in all constituencies except PP-269. Addressing journalists after the conclusion of polls at 5 p.m., Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja thanked the Punjab and KP governments for their cooperation in ensuring the peaceful conduct of polls.
NA-129
Unofficial results show the PMLN’s Hafiz Mian Muhammad Nauman securing 63,441 votes against PTI-backed Arsalan Ahmed, who secured 29,099 votes. Of the 17 candidates on the ballot, 15 failed to achieve even 10% of the vote count.
After the seat fell vacant with the death of Azhar, his son Hammad Azhar initially announced an intent to contest the polls. However, he later stepped back, noting he was facing convictions in several cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots. PTI-backed candidate Ahmed was handpicked by Azhar to contest in his place.
Nauman had lost the 2024 general elections to Azhar by more than 30,000 votes.
PP-116
Unofficial results from all 190 polling stations show PMLN’s Ahmad Shehryar leading with 48,824 votes against independent candidate Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser’s 11,429.
NA-104
Unofficial results of all 375 polling station show the PMLN’s Daniyal Ahmad leading with 52,791 votes against independent candidate Rana Adnan Javed’s 19,262.
PP-115
Unofficial results from 159 polling stations show PMLN’s Muhammad Tahir Pervaiz winning with 49,046 votes against independent candidate Muhammad Asghar, who secured 1,898 votes.
PP-98
According to unofficial results from all 171 polling stations, PMLN’s Azad Ali Tabassum is winning with 44,388 votes against independent candidate Muhammad Ajmal’s 35,245.
NA-96
With all 345 polling stations reporting, PMLN’s Muhammad Bilal Badr has secured victory with 93,009 votes against independent candidate Nawab Sher Waseer’s 43,025.
NA-185
With counts from all 226 polling stations compiled, PMLN’s Mehmood Qadir Khan leads with 82,416 votes against PPP candidate Dost Muhammad Khosa’s 49,262. The seat was vacated by the disqualification of PTI’s Zartaj Gul. The returning officer said the turnout was 36.2%.
PP-87
Unofficial results from all 193 polling stations show PMLN’s Ali Haider Noor Khan is the lead with 67,986 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Ayaz Khan secured second with 6,371 votes.
NA-18
The seat attracted controversy even before the polls, as KP C.M. Sohail Afridi appeared to threaten election staff during the campaign. PTI-backed candidate Shehrnaz Omar Ayub is the wife of disqualified Omar Ayub Khan, who campaigned on her behalf despite being a proclaimed offender.
Unofficial results from all 602 polling stations show the PMLN’s Babar Nawaz Khan winning the seat with 163,996 votes against Ayub’s 120,220.
PP-73
Complete unofficial results from all 163 polling stations show the PMLN’s Sultan Ali Ranjha in the lead with 71,770 votes. Independent candidate Mahr Mohsin Raza finished second with 12,970 votes.
PP-269
Complete unofficial results from all 156 polling stations show PPP’s Alamdaar Abbas Qureshi winning the seat with 55,611 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Iqbal Khan finishes second with 46,510.
PP-203
Unofficial results from all 185 polling stations show PMLN’s Muhammad Hanif winning the seat with 46,900 votes. Independent candidate Falak Sher finished second with 10,895.
NA-143
Complete unofficial results from all 442 polling stations show PMLN’s Muhammad Tufail winning the seat with 136,223 votes against independent candidate Zarar Akbar Chaudhry’s 13,220.
Reactions
As per routine, the PTI has rejected the results of the NA-18 polls, maintaining their candidate was in the lead but was “made to lose” with wrong results. In a posting on X, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan claimed any alleged rigging would disenfranchise the public and discourage them from voting in future.
PPP leader Kasim Gilani also appeared to question the results in NA-185. He claimed the Pakistan Peoples Party had emerged victorious and accused authorities of showing more votes in results than were actually cast.
After the polling, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement congratulating PMLN’s Tufail Jutt for winning the NA-143 by-election. He claimed the win shows the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, his vision, and the work put in by the party on the ground. “It also shows the public’s trust in Maryam Nawaz’s efforts and the party’s commitment to serving the people,” he said.
The PTI has claimed the low turnout is a result of its selective boycott. However, CEC Raja claimed the lack of enthusiasm from voters was due to the by-polls having no impact on the makeup of the government.