LAHORE, JUL 17: – The counting of votes is underway after polling ended for the by-elections in 20 constituencies of Punjab. The polling began at 8am and continued till 5pm but in several districts polling was stopped due to clashes.

It is pertinent to mention that the 20 seats fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) “de-seated” 25 PTI dissident lawmakers on May 23 for voting against PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz in the Punjab chief minister’s election. Which included five lawmakers elected on reserved seats for women and minorities.

By-elections were held in 20 constituencies of Punjab Assembly including PP-7 Rawalpindi, PP-83 Khushab, PP-90 Bhakkar, PP-97 Faisalabad; PP-125, PP-127 Jhang, PP-140 Sheikhupura,PP-158, 167,168,170 Lahore;PP-167, Lahore, PP-202 Sahiwa,; PP-217 Multan, PP-224 Lodhran, PP-228 Lodhran, PP-237 Bahawalnagar, PP-272,273 Muzaffargarh,PP-282 Layyah and PP-288 Dera Ghazi Khan.

A total of 4.57 million registered voters, including 2.46 million women, were eligible to cast ballot in the by-polls. As many as 3140 polling stations, including 731 male, 700 female and 1700 combined polling stations had been established across the 20 constituencies.

A total of 9,562 polling booths had been set up for the by-polls. The ECP had declared 1204 polling stations sensitive and 696 highly sensitive.

Polling stations from Lahore and Multan had also been declared sensitive. Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gul had said that the Election Commission was completely neutral and there was no truth in the allegations, they were working according to the Constitution and the law.

Punjab Assembly number game

The Punjab Assembly has a total of 371 members, of which 20 seats are vacant at the moment, bringing the total number of MPAs in the Punjab Assembly down to 351.

The PML-N has 163 members. On the other side is the Opposition, therefore the PTI, which is 163 MPAs strong at the moment.

In the house, there are five independents, of which Chaudhry Nisar, the former interior minister, is unlikely to vote. While the PPP has 7 MPAs, PML-Q has 10, and the Rah-e-Haq party has one.

As per the rules of the Punjab Assembly, the chief minister is elected with a simple majority, therefore 186 votes out of the 371-seat assembly.

Unofficial Results 

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PP-7 Rawalpindi

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Col M Shabbir Awan is leading the vote count by securing 556 votes followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Raja Saghir Ahmad who has obtained 470 vote.

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PP-83 Khushab

Independent candidate Asif Malik Bha is leading the vote count by obtaining 598 vote, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Ghulam Sarwar who has secured 384 votes.

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PP-90 Bhakkar

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Saeed Akbar Nawani is leading the vote count by obtaining 4458 vote, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Irfan Ullah Niazi who has secured 3963 votes.

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PP-97 Faisalabad

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Ali Afzal Sahi is leading the vote count by securing 1063 votes followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Muhammad Ajmal Cheema who has obtained 746 vote.

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PP-125 Jhang

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Mian Azam Chela is leading the vote count by securing 334 votes followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Faisal Hayat Jabboana who has obtained 103 vote.

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PP-127 Jhang

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mehar Aslam Bharwana is leading the vote count by obtaining 2705 vote, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Mehar Nawaz Bharwana who has secured 2356 votes.

PP-140 Sheikhupura

Result awaited

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PP-158 Lahore

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Mian Akram Usman is leading the vote count by securing 135 votes followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Rana Ahsan Sharafat who has obtained 57 vote.

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PP-167 Lahore

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Nazir Ahmed Chuhan is leading the vote count by obtaining 257 vote, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Shabbir Ahmed Awan who has secured 246 votes.

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PP-168 Lahore

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Malik Asad Khokhar is leading the vote count by obtaining 1004 vote, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Nawaz Awan who has secured 40 votes.

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PP-170 Lahore

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Malik Zaheer Abbas is leading the vote count by securing 234 votes followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Muhammad Amin Zulqarnain who has obtained 95 vote.

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PP-202 Sahiwal

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Malik Nauman Langrial is leading the vote count by obtaining 4421 vote, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Ghulam Sarwar who has secured 3812 votes.

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PP-217 Multan

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Muhammad Salman Naeem is leading the vote count by obtaining 4498 vote, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Makhdoom Zain Qureshi who has secured 3344 votes.

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PP-224 Lodhran

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Zawar Hussain Warraich is leading the vote count by obtaining 3639 vote, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Amir Iqbal Shah who has secured 3072 votes.

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PP-228 Lodhran

Result awaited

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PP-237 Bahawalnagar

Result awaited

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PP-272 Muzaffargarh

Result awaited

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PP-273 Muzaffargarh

Result awaited

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PP-282 Layyah

Result awaited

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PP-288 Dera Ghazi Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Saifuddin Khosa is leading the vote count by obtaining 2034 vote, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Abdul Qadir Khosa who has secured 1762 votes.