PPP retains Bahawalpur NA seat

Khadija Waran secures 75,507 votes to win NA-184 seat.

The Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate Khadija Waran has won the NA-184 Bahawalpur by-elections. According to unofficial results, she secured 75,507 votes against her Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rival Najeebuddin Owaisi, who polled 48,145 votes.

NA-184 had fallen vacant after PPP MNA Amir Yar Waran was declared ineligible to hold the seat by the Lahore High Court for possessing a fake degree. Waran chose to resign and the PPP gave the party ticket to his wife Khadija Waran for contesting Saturday’s by-polls.

The polling was marred by clashes between supporters of both the parties. Four persons were taken into police custody, including a Naib Nazim of the area. Polling was briefly suspended at one station.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2010.