PTI chief secured 57,824 votes, ANP’s Gulam Bilour got 32,253 votes, as per unofficial results
JAVED KHAN
PESHAWAR
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Awami National Party (ANP) have suffered a huge setback after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan defeated ANP’s Haji Gulam Ahmad Bilour in a crucial by-polls held for the NA-31 Peshawar-V, here on Sunday.
As per unofficial results, Imran Khan secured 57,824 votes while ANP’s Gulam Ahmad Bilour received only 32,253 votes.
PTI chairman clinched the National Assembly seat from Peshawar by defeating the PDM joint candidate Haji Gulam Bilour for the second time by a huge margin of 25,571 votes.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conducted by-elections for the three National Assembly seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.
The constituencies where by-elections were held included NA-31 Peshawar, NA-24 Charsadda and NA-22 Mardan.
The seats were vacated after the resignations of PTI MNAs Shaukat Ali, Fazal Khan and Ali Mohammad Khan respectively soon after PTI chairman Imran Khan lost vote of confidence in the NA.
NA-31 Peshawar-V constituency which is comprised of areas including Ander Sher, Qisa-Khwani, Yakatoot, Karimpura, Sikandirpura, Lahori, Asia-Gate, Gunj, Wazir Bagh, Kakshal, Gulbahar, Bhanamani, Wazir Colony, Afghan Colony, Gulaabad and other areas.
A total of eight candidates were vying for the NA-31 Peshawar in the by-polls.
Former prime minister and chairman PTI Imran Khan, ANP leader Haji Gulam Ahmad Bilour, Mohammad Aslam of JI, Saeedullah Khan of the Rah-e-Haq Party, Abdul Qadir of the Tehreek-e-Jawanan Pakistan, and two independent candidates Imran Khan and Shahukat Ali also took part in the by-polls.
It is pertinent to mention here that PTI chief Imran Khan was a candidate in the three NA seats from KP.
Maulana Qaism was contesting the election on JUI-F ticket in the constituency NA-22 Mardan, ANP’s provincial president Aimal Wali Khan was given the ticket from Charsadda’s NA-24 constituency.
Haji Gulam Bilour was contesting election from Peshawar against Imran Khan.
All the coalition parties in PDM have announced their support of these three candidates.
As per details shared by the ECP 979 polling stations had been set up for the electoral contest in Peshawar, Charsadda and Mardan.
It also said that 1.45 million people including 808,038 men and 642,651 women were eligible to cast a vote in the by-polls.
The ECP had established 429 polling stations for men, 352 for women and 199 were common, while 3.194 polling booths were established including 1,811 for men and 1,383 for women.
The by-polls were concluded peacefully in the three constituencies of the province. However, the turnout remained low at 20.28 percent.
The voting began at 8.00am and continued without any break till 5.00pm.
The provincial elections commission in a statement shared that it did not receive any major complaint.
There were 16 candidates, including former prime minister Imran Khan, who contested election on all three seats.
Until filling this report, Imran Khan was also in lead from Charsadda and Mardan. As per details, the counting of votes in NA-22 Mardan and NA-24 Charsadda is underway after polling ended for the by-elections in the constituencies.
