PML-N wins NA-68; NA-100 goes to PPP

Updated at: 0731 PST, Friday, August 06, 2010
SARGODHA: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) candidate Shafqat Hussain Baloch won the by-election in NA-68 Sargodha 5. Shafqat Baloch bagged 90253 votes and defeated his closest rival with the big margin of over 33206 votes as the PPP-P backed independent candidate got 56747 votes.

According to unofficial results the PPP candidate Tassaduq Masood Khan in NA-100 Gujranwala won by-election with difference of 4000 votes, however, PPP workers manhandled the Presiding Officer after accusing him of rigging the results, media reports said.

Independent candidate Akhtar Kanju had won the NA-155 Lodharian seat in the bye-elections on Thursday by securing 79867 votes, according to unofficial results.

Voting started at 8 AM and continued without any interruption. However minor scuffles were reported from Shahpur and Tarkhanawala. The supporters of PPP-P backed candidate alleged that at one poling station in Tarkhanawala where the total votes cast were 157 and during the counting 192 votes were taken out from the ballot box.

There are 283743 registered voters in the area and the turn out remained at 26 per cent while the people showed little interest in the poling due to flood. The poling staff also reached late due to flooding in the area, sources told.

When contacted the Election Commission officials said that the poling started in the flooded area at the prescribed time and temporary poling stations were set up there and the voters were taken to the poling station in boats by the distraction. 306 poling stations were set up in the area.

NA-68 constituency fell vacant due to the disqualification of PML-N former MNA Javaid Hussnain Shah for holding a fake degree. Three provincial Ministers Abdul Ghafoor Ch, Dost Muhammad Khosa and Nadim Kamran remained in the area for over 15 days while Hamza Shahbaz also remained here for two days to work out a victory for the PML-N candidate.

Meanwhile polling for by-election of NA-100 Gujranwala and NA-155 Lodhran were also held on Wednesday and polling was conducted smoothly and peacefully in a fair, free, impartial and transparent manners.

Armed contingents of Pakistan Rangers along with police patrolled around all the polling stations. Provincial Election Commissioner Akhtar Hussain Sabir told reporters here this evening that armed contingents of Punjab Police in addition to Pakistan Rangers assisted the election staff for holding fair and tension free impartial by-election.