By-elections: vote count under way as polling for 21 NA, provincial assembly seats concludes

ISLAMABAD: Polling for the by-elections for five seats of the National Assembly and 16 seats of the provincial assemblies has concluded across the country.

The by-elections were held amidst the suspension of mobile phone and internet services in some districts of Balochistan and Punjab.

Polling started at 8am and continued without interruption until 5pm. After the polling time ended, votes were counted.

The by-elections were held in two National Assembly constituencies in Punjab, two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Sindh.

On the other hand, the by-elections were held in 12 seats of the Punjab Assembly, two seats each of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assemblies.

Read more: Punjab by-elections: Six arrested in violent clashes outside polling stations

Out of 2,599 polling stations across the country, 419 had been declared highly sensitive, and 1,081 sensitive.

Additionally, polling were also held in all constituencies of PB-50 and in PK-8 and PK-22 Bajaur.

Security arrangements

Military personnel along with paramilitary forces had been deployed for the security of by-elections.

Mobile phone service suspension

During the by-elections, mobile phone services remained suspended in some districts of Punjab and Balochistan.

In a brief statement issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), it was stated that the decision to suspend mobile phone services was made “to ensure the smooth and transparent conduct of the electoral process.”

The Ministry of Interior had demanded the suspension of mobile internet services in the districts of Gujrat, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Lahore, as well as in the tehsils of Talagang, Chakwal, Khairpur, Ali Pur Chatha, Zafarwal, Bhakkar City, Sadiqabad, Kot Chhutta, and Dera Ghazi Khan.

Vacant seats

The by-elections for the National and provincial assemblies was postponed due to the assassination of Rehman Zeb in Bajaur. The NA-44 was vacated by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

Similarly, the NA-119 Lahore seat was vacated by PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, who retained the PP-159 seat.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif succeeded in two seats of the National Assembly and two seats of the provincial assembly but he vacated NA-132 Kasur, PP-158 Lahore, and PP-164 Lahore and retained NA-123 Lahore seat.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari succeeded in two seats of the National Assembly, but he retained NA-194 Larkana seats and vacated NA-196 Qamber Shahdadkot.

PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari vacated NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad after being elected president and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari won her father’s vacated seat uncontested.

Polling had been canceled in KP-91 Kohat after the death of ANP leader.

The Sindh Assembly (PS-80 Dadu) seat fell vacant after the death of winning candidate Abdul Aziz Junejo.

In Balochistan, BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal retained NA-256 Khuzdar and vacated PB-20 Khuzdar seat.

PML-N leader Ghulam Abbas had retained NA-53 Rawalpindi and vacated PP-22 Rawalpindi, where by-elections were held.

Similarly, PML-Q’s Chaudhry Saleh Hussain retained NA-64 and vacated PP-32 Gujar Khan.

PPP’s Muhammad Ahmed Chattha’s election to PP-36 Wazirabad was nullified due to non-taking of oath. PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal vacated NA-76 Narowal seat and retained NA-76 Narowal seat.

The PP-139 Sheikhupura seat fell vacant after PML-N’s Rana Tanveer did not take the oath. The PP-147 Lahore seat fell vacant after PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz did not take the oath.

Ali Khan of the PPP had retained NA-117 and vacated NA-149 Lahore.