NA-171 by-elections: Close contest between PTI and PPP in Rahim Yar Khan

Polling for the NA-171 by-election in Rahim Yar Khan is currently underway and will continue uninterrupted until 5 pm today.

The local government has declared a public holiday in the district, and Section 144 has been imposed for security purposes.

A total of 526,000 voters are registered in the constituency, with 301 polling stations set up, including dedicated booths for men and women.

The polling process is being monitored by 2,700 police personnel, and CCTV cameras have been installed to ensure security, particularly at 62 sensitive polling stations.

The by-election was triggered by the death of former PTI MNA Mumtaz Mustafa Advocate.

The contest is expected to be closely fought, with PPP's Makhdoom Tahir Rasheed and PTI’s Hassan Mustafa Advocate as the leading candidates.

The district police office is overseeing the election's security operations, which are divided into four sectors and 23 sub-sectors, while a control room at the DPO office monitors the situation in real-time.

Last monthin August, the Election Commission of Pakistan had announced and scheduled a by-election for the National Assembly seat NA-171 in Rahim Yar Khan on September 12, following the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Mustafa Mumtaz.

A public notice for the by-election will be issued on August 13, as stated in a notification by ECP Additional Director General (Elections) Nadeem Haider.

Mumtaz Mustafa passed away due to a heart attack.

He was one of the 39 PTI Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) confirmed by the ECP on July 26, in line with a Supreme Court decision on the reserved seats issue.

The court's July 12 ruling noted that, of the 80 MNAs in question, 39 were registered as PTI members while the remaining 41 were listed as independents.

After the February 8 general elections, all 80 lawmakers joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in a strategic move to secure reserved seats after the ECP denied the PTI an electoral symbol.