KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has retained both its provincial assembly seats in Karachi and Sanghar by-elections.
According to unofficial and unverified results after all 108 polling stations, PPP’s Yousaf Baloch secured 24,251 votes, from PS-88 Malir, Karachi to win the by-elections. Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan candidate Syed Kashif Ali received 6,090 votes and was placed second.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Jan Sher Junejo remained third by securing 4,870 votes, while Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) candidate Sajid Ahmed only got 2,635 votes.
In Malir, Karachi, the by-poll was marred by incidents of violence, while the opposition leader of Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh was arrested for violating the orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during the voting process.
At least 16 independent candidates were also contesting the by-polls. The seat fell vacant in June 2020 after the death of provincial minister Ghulam Murtaza Baloch due to the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, PPP candidate Jam Shabbir Ali clinched victory on a provincial assembly seat PS-43-Sanghar-III in by-elections.
According to unofficial results from all 132 polling stations, PPP candidate Jam Shabbir Ali secured 48,028 votes. This rival from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Mushtaq Junejoreceived 6,925 votes.
At least seven candidates took part in the by-election on vacant Sindh Assembly seat from Sanghar. The polling started at 8:00 am and ended at 5:00 pm.
The seat had fallen vacant after PPP’s Jam Madad Ali passed away due to coronavirus complications in November last year.
Out of the 132, 37 had been declared extremely sensitive and 34 are sensitive. The ECP had set up 43 male, 34 female, 64 mixed voting booths during the by-polls.
The constituency has 157,210 voters with 132 polling stations set up to facilitate them in the electoral process. The constituency has 88,034 male votes and 69,176 female votes.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah have congratulated PPP candidates for winning by-polls with a “huge margin” and said that the victory has proved the popularity of the party among the masses.
