Big margin: PML-N candidate wins PP-100 by-polls
Secures 49,991 votes against PTI candidate’s 28,380 votes
Voters wait for their turn to cast ballots during by-polls in PP-100. PHOTO: ONLINE
KAMONKI:
In the by-polls at the Punjab Assembly’s PP-100 constituency, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Rana Akhtar Ali Khan has won by a big margin.
According to the unofficial results, the PML-N’s Rana Akhtar secured 49,991 votes. His chief rival, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Ehsanullah Virk managed to bag 28,380 votes while Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate Rana Shahbaz mustered 2,600 votes.
The polling started on Sunday at 8am but was disrupted at many places due to continuous rain. Because of rain, water gathered at a number of polling stations and commuting became difficult. However, at 12noon the weather cleared and a large number of people came out to cast their ballots.
The unconfirmed and unofficial result showed that 78, 371 adult voters, out of a constituency of 162,000 voters. During the polling, the supporters of the PML-N and the PTI clashed a number of times at different places. Due to these clashes polling had to be stopped at certain polling stations.
The PML-N supporters also allegedly broke the windscreen of a number of cars in a convoy of a former MPA and the PTI leader Zulfiqar Bhindar. The polling was held amid tight security and heavy contingents of police were deployed at the polling stations while vehicles of Rangers also kept patrolling the area.
After the announcement of informal result, the PTI supporters gathered for protest against alleged rigging and blocked the GT Road for traffic. However, after the arrival of the riot police, the PTI sympathisers cleared the road.
Talking to media, the PTI candidate later alleged that the PML-N had rigged the elections. He claimed the PML-N workers could not accept their defeat and attacked the PTI’s polling camp to take away their voters’ lists.
He claimed that due to the lack of polling lists, the PTI had to lose around 20,000 votes. “The PML-N has always rigged elections in the past,” he added. PML-N candidate Rana Akhtar, however, said that women workers of the PTI hid the lists.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2015.
In the by-polls at the Punjab Assembly’s PP-100 constituency, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Rana Akhtar Ali Khan has won by a big margin.
According to the unofficial results, the PML-N’s Rana Akhtar secured 49,991 votes. His chief rival, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Ehsanullah Virk managed to bag 28,380 votes while Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate Rana Shahbaz mustered 2,600 votes.
The polling started on Sunday at 8am but was disrupted at many places due to continuous rain. Because of rain, water gathered at a number of polling stations and commuting became difficult. However, at 12noon the weather cleared and a large number of people came out to cast their ballots.
The unconfirmed and unofficial result showed that 78, 371 adult voters, out of a constituency of 162,000 voters. During the polling, the supporters of the PML-N and the PTI clashed a number of times at different places. Due to these clashes polling had to be stopped at certain polling stations.
The PML-N supporters also allegedly broke the windscreen of a number of cars in a convoy of a former MPA and the PTI leader Zulfiqar Bhindar. The polling was held amid tight security and heavy contingents of police were deployed at the polling stations while vehicles of Rangers also kept patrolling the area.
After the announcement of informal result, the PTI supporters gathered for protest against alleged rigging and blocked the GT Road for traffic. However, after the arrival of the riot police, the PTI sympathisers cleared the road.
Talking to media, the PTI candidate later alleged that the PML-N had rigged the elections. He claimed the PML-N workers could not accept their defeat and attacked the PTI’s polling camp to take away their voters’ lists.
He claimed that due to the lack of polling lists, the PTI had to lose around 20,000 votes. “The PML-N has always rigged elections in the past,” he added. PML-N candidate Rana Akhtar, however, said that women workers of the PTI hid the lists.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2015.