Election results: PML-N victorious in five south Punjab districts

Winners had to be decided by a toss where two candidates had gotten equal votes

BAHAWALPUR/MULTAN:

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz managed to bag the largest number of the chairman seats won by a party in local government elections in five districts – Bahawalnagar, Okara, Vehari, Bhakkar and Lodhran. Of the 462 chairman seats, PML-N candidates won 193 seats – 41.7 per cent of the total seats.  

Bahawalnagar

In Bahawalnagar, 81 candidates were vying for chairman. Of those who won, 26 candidates were from the PML-N, 15 from the Pakistan Muslim League- Zia, 9 from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and one from the Pakistan Peoples Party. Three candidates won unopposed.

Among municipal committees, 35 seats in Chishtian tehsil were won by independent candidates and one seat went to the PTI candidate.

In Minchinabad tehsil, all 12 seats were won by independent candidates. Out of 47 seats in Bahawalnagar tehsil, 15 were won by independent candidates, five by PTI candidates and 27 by PML-N candidates.

In Fort Abbas tehsil all 12 seats were won by independent candidates. In Haroonabad, of the 24 seats, 12 seats went to PML-Zia candidates and 11 seats were won by independent candidates.

Elections were postponed in one constituency due to wrong ballot paper.

Okara

Out of 140 seats for chairman in Okara district, 71 seats went to PML-N candidates, 14 seats to the PTI candidates, 12 seats were won by PPP candiadtes, 38 seats went to independent candidates and the results of five seats are pending.

Among 140 wards of municipal committees, PML-N candidates won 68 seats of councillors, eight seats went to PTI candidates, eight to the PPP candidates, 54 seats were won by independent candidates and the results of two seats are pending. In ward 29 of Okara district, two candidates received equal votes and the result is pending.

In UC 13, both candidates for chairman had equal votes and the municipal committee results for UC 80 of were equal. The winner will be decided on the basis of a toss.

Vehari

In Vehari district, of the 105 seats of chairman, independent candidates won 48 seats, PML-N candidates won 34 seats, PTI candidates won 18 seats, Pakistan Kisan Ittehad won two seats, PPP candidates won two seats and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid won one seat.

In UC-13, two candidates bagged equal votes and the winner was decided on the basis of a toss. Aftab Hussain Gujjar was then selected chairman and Abduttawwab was elected vice chairman. Their opponents were Hakeem Fakir Gujjar for chairman and Amjad Gujjar for vice chairman. Both candidates had gotten 2,670 votes.



In Ward 6 in UC-180, the winner was decided on the basis of a toss for general councillor. Both the candidates had received 307 votes. After the toss, Abdul Ghaffoor was selected general councillor. The returning officer decided the winner by toss under Article 37 of the Local Government Ordinance.

In the Mailsi municipal committee, of the 12 councillor seats, six went to PML-N candidates, two went to the PTI, two seats went to the PPP and two seats went to independent candidates.

In Burewala, of 36 wards, PML-N won 20 seats, PTI won six seats, PML-Q won one seat and one seat was won by an independent candidate.

In Vehari sub district’s 24 municipal committee wards, all seats of councillors were won by independent candidates.

Bhakkar

In Bhakkar, of the 66 seats of chairman, 21 were won by PML-N candidates, 41 seats by independent candidates, two seats by PTI candidates and the results of two seats are pending.

Among seats of general councillors in 59 wards in municipal committee, 26 seats were won by PML-N candidates, 32 seats were won by independent candidates and the result of one seat is pending.

Lodhran

Of the 70 district council seats, PML-N candidates bagged 41 seats, 17 independent candidates won and 9 PTI candidates won. Elections were postponed in three union councils: in UC 62, Kehror Pucca, a candidate for chairman had died of a heart attack and the competing candidates in UC 30 and UC 32 had been disqualified.

In municipal committees: out of 30 wards in Lodhran municipal committee, independent candidates won in 20 wards, PTI candidates in six and the PML-N candidates in four.

In Kehror Pucca, elections were conducted in 28 municipal committees in which 20 PML-N candidates were declared winners and seven independent candidates and one PTI candidate won.

Of the 12 seats in Dunyapur, PML-N won 7 seats, independents bagged four seats and one PTI candidate won.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2015.