PTI wins NA-193 by-poll

Party’s Mohsin Khan bags 90,392 votes against PML-N candidate Ammar Awais’ 55,218

DG KHAN/ ISLAMABAD:

 

The PTI on Sunday won the by-election for Rajanpur’s NA-193 constituency with its candidate, Sardar Mohsin Khan Leghari, bagging 90,392 votes as per unofficial results from 237 polling stations there.

His rival, PML-N’s Ammar Awais Leghari, managed to fetch 55,218 votes.

The third position went to PPP’s Sardar Akhtar Hasan Gorchani with 20,074 votes, followed by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Mehmood Ahmed with 3,961.

The seat had fallen vacant after the death of PTI MNA Sardar Mohammad Jaffar Khan Leghari.

The voter turnout remained over 46%. 

NA-193 bye Election #ECP pic.twitter.com/VEz4hHNAhd

— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) February 26, 2023

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the polling, in which 379,204 voters exercised their right to vote, began at 8 am till 5 pm without break.

Overall, the voting process remained peaceful at all the 237 polling stations.

There were incidents of clashes at polling stations 233, 234 and a couple of others, but police were able to quickly bring the law and order situation under control.

A large number of women exercised their right to vote in the election.

Strict security arrangements were made for the by-election with more than 2,000 policemen and officials deployed at the polling stations.

Soldiers of the Pakistan Army and Rangers were present to help the police.

Moreover, there was a complete ban on carrying mobile phones inside the polling stations.

The candidates of the top three parties visited the polling stations to observe the voting process.

Also read: CDA moves to evict denotified PTI lawmakers from Parliament Lodges

In the 2018 general elections, PTI’s Sardar Mohammad Jaffar Khan Leghari had bagged the seat with 81,358 votes.

As soon as the news of the PTI candidate’s victory spread, the jubilant party activists started celebrating with fireworks.

They showered the winning candidate, who joined them in the celebrations, with flower petals.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohsin expressed his gratitude to the Almighty for his victory.

He also thanked his constituents for helping him in winning the seat.

Mohsin said his win had proven that whenever the elections are held in a free and transparent manner, “thieves” and “turncoats” would face defeat.

He added that the people had “buried” the politics of police stations, legal cases and intimidation today.

Mohsin maintained that the people backed the narrative of PTI chairman and former premier Imran Khan.

The PTI chief congratulated his party’s candidate, activists and supporters over the victory.

In his message, Imran said his party had defied all odds, including the State machinery, “neutrals”, and the ECP’s “connivance”, to secure the seat.

He claimed that the victory would spread more fear among the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its ”handlers”.

Therefore, expect more pressure on the Supreme Court judges, he added.