BAP candidate Abdul Rasheed wins PB-47 by-poll in Kech

Leadership of ruling party, BNP-Mengal engages in war of words on Twitter after ECP announcement

QUETTA: The ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) clinched another provincial assembly seat after its candidate Abdul Rasheed won PB-47 by-election in District Kech on Friday.

Leaders of BAP and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) launched verbal attacks at each other soon after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued results of the by-poll, announcing Rasheed’s victory.

With Jamaat-e-Islami’s support, Rasheed bagged 7,088 while BNP-M’s Jamil Ahmed Dashti secured 5,758 votes, according to unofficial results.

The by-poll on PB-47 Kech III was held under strict security with the ECP claiming the polling process went smoothly in all 60 polling stations.



As soon as the polling ended at 5pm, allegations of rigging were hurled at the ruling party by BNP leadership including its chief Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal and Sana Baloch on Twitter.

In his tweet, Mengal had announced victory of his candidate. “I am thankful to the people of Kech Specially PB-47 who came out to vote for BNP candidate, it is the result of hard work of workers of BNP, congratulations to BNPians,” he tweeted.

Provincial Minister for Information and Higher Education Mir Zahoor Buledi mocked BNP chief in response, saying, “Since morning you were yelling for rigging but now announcing your candidate’s victory … people of Kech have rejected you by the power of votes.”



Sharing his views on social media, BAP leader Senator Sarfaraz Bugti said, “When BNP wins, its people choice, but if BAP wins, its rigging, the irony is unmistakable.”

Balochistan Awami Party’s Abdul Rauf Rind was elected from PB-47 in general elections with heavy margin but disqualified by the election commission for having dual nationalities.

All three major political parties of the province -- BAP, BNP-Mengal and National Party -- had run series of election campaigns across District Kech to win the seat. Once the top party in Makran division, National Party’s candidate Fida Dashti could only manage to 3,055 votes.