LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: In a significant upset, former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed (PTI) candidate Pervaiz Elahi, running from PP-32, suffered defeat in Gujarat as Musa Elahi from the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) clinched victory.
Musa Elahi secured an impressive 63,536 votes, according to unofficial results, while Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi could get only 18,237 votes, as per the unofficial count.
This outcome represents a notable change in Gujarat’s political dynamics, indicating a shift in representation for the constituency.
Meanwhile, unofficial and preliminary results indicate that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the front-runner in the by-polls held for nearly two dozen national and provincial seats on Sunday.
Out of the 21 national and provincial seats, PML-N has secured 4 seats from Punjab, which is its stronghold.
The Sharif-led party also claimed victory in one provincial assembly seat from Balochistan and one national assembly seat from Lahore.
Meanwhile, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) managed to secure one provincial assembly seat from Lahore, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won a national assembly seat from Kamber Shahdadtkot.
The by-elections, held following the February 8 general elections, saw participation from major political parties including PML-N, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council, and PPP.
Voting commenced at 8 am and concluded at 5 pm, amidst sporadic clashes between workers of different political parties in Punjab.
To ensure the integrity and security of the electoral process, the federal government temporarily suspended mobile phone services in several districts of Punjab and Balochistan.
Upon the request of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the government deployed troops from the Pakistan Army and Civil Armed Forces (CAF) during the polling process.
Tragically, clashes between PML-N and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) workers resulted in the death of one PML-N worker, Muhammad Yousaf, in Narowal. Polling in this constituency was halted as a result.
The by-elections were conducted for five national assembly seats, 12 Punjab Assembly seats, two each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan Assemblies, and one in Sindh Assembly.
