By-polls: PTI wins NA-247, PS-111, loses PK-71 to ANP

KARACHI (92 News) – The Awami National Party (ANP) clinched victory on the PK-71 seat in the by-polls on Sunday from the Peshawar constituency, whereas Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won NA-247 and PS-111 seats in Karachi constituencies. According to the unofficial results, all 86 polling stations show Awami National Party's (ANP) Salahuddin clinched victory on PK-71 with 11,257 votes, followed by PTI’s Zulfiqar Khan, who secured 9,854 votes. PK-71 fell vacant after Shah Farman was appointed as Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Independent candidates Dildar Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, and Fazale Haq Kohi Damani also contested on the seat. On the other hand, the PTI won both the seats of NA-247 and PS-111 from Karachi. Aftab Siddiqui of PTI has won by-election on National Assembly seat NA-247 Karachi. He secured 32,464 votes followed by Sadiq Iftikhar of MQM (Pakistan) who managed to bag 14,114 votes. Similarly, PTI candidate Shahzad Qureshi was elected on Sindh Assembly seat PS-111 Karachi in the by-elections. He obtained 11,658 votes. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seat PK-71, Peshawar was won by Salahuddin of Awami National Party, by securing 11,224 votes. PTI candidate Zulfiqar Khan secured 9,755 votes in the by-polls. PTI’s Aftab Hussain Siddiqui is leading on NA-247, followed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's (MQM-P) Sadiq Iftikhar. Pakistan Peoples Party's Qaiser Nizamani trails behind at the third spot. Twelve candidates contested for the NA-247 seat while 11 were in the run for the Sindh Assembly seat. NA-247 was vacated by President Dr Arif Alvi while PS-111 was vacated by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail. By-polls for National Assembly seat NA-247, Sindh Assembly seat PS-111 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seat PK-71 were held today, and vote count is underway on the former two. The constituencies where the elections are being held include NA-247 Karachi, Sindh Assembly seat PS-111 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seat PK-71. The polling for by-elections started at 8am on Sunday. The ninety per cent polling stations of all three constituencies have been linked to RTS system. According to ECP, there are 546,451 registered voters in NA-247 and 178,965 registered voters in PS-111. Twelve candidates are in the run for the NA-247 seat, while 11 are contesting for the Sindh Assembly seat. NA-247 was vacated by President Dr Arif Alvi, while PS-111 was vacated by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail. Prominent candidates in the run for NA-247 include PTI’s Aftab Hussain Siddiqui, PSP’s Arshad Vohra, MQM-P’s Sadiq Iftikhar and PPP’s Qaiser Khan Nizamani. On the other hand, PTI’s Shehzad Qureshi, MQM-P’s Jehanzeb Mughal, PML-N’s Mohammad Zahid Hussain and Muhammad Jibran Nasir are candidates for PS-111. On the other hand, the PK-71 fell vacant after Shah Farman was appointed as Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PTI’s Zulfiqar Khan, Awami National Party candidate Salahuddin, and independent candidates Dildar Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, and Fazale Haq Kohi Damani are contesting for the PK-71 by-election. Meanwhile, Election Commission has said that expired National Identity Cards are valid for voting in today's by-elections. In a statement on Sunday, the ECP said voters are not allowed to bring mobile phones and cameras in polling stations. It said information about vote can be obtained by sending CNIC number at 8300. It said facilitation centre at ECP opened remain active till 6pm.