PML-N Clinches Landslide Victory in By-Elections, PTI Allies Fall Short

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has achieved a clean sweep in the by-elections for six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats, according to unofficial results. Candidates backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and independents trailed far behind.

Most of the vacant seats arose due to the disqualification of PTI lawmakers convicted in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots, following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Polling commenced at 8:00 am under strict security and continued smoothly until 5:00 pm.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has achieved a clean sweep in the by-elections for six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats, according to unofficial results.

Candidates backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and independents trailed far behind.

Most of the seats fell vacant due to the disqualification of PTI lawmakers convicted in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots, following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Polling began at 8:00 am under strict security measures and continued uninterrupted until 5:00 pm.

Constituencies Contested

By-elections were held in the following National Assembly constituencies:

NA-18 (Haripur)

NA-96 (Faisalabad)

NA-104 (Faisalabad)

NA-129 (Lahore)

NA-143 (Sahiwal)

NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan)

And in Punjab Assembly constituencies:

PP-73 (Sargodha)

PP-87 (Mianwali)

PP-98 (Faisalabad)

PP-115 (Faisalabad)

PP-116 (Faisalabad)

PP-203 (Sahiwal)

PP-269 (Muzaffargarh)

The PTI officially boycotted all constituencies except Lahore and Haripur, while PML-N fielded candidates in all seats except Muzaffargarh. The PPP contested two NA and one Punjab seat.

Election Oversight

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja described the by-elections as peaceful and thanked the Punjab and KP governments for their cooperation.

NA-129 — Lahore

PML-N’s Hafiz Mian Muhammad Nauman has secured 63,441 votes, placing him in the lead. Independent candidate Arsalan Ahmed is in second place with 29,099 votes, according to the unconfirmed tally.

It turned out only two people — the PML-N candidate and one independent — managed to get past the 10% mark, and everyone else fell way behind.

There were 17 candidates on the ballot, but for 15 of them, the vote count wasn’t even close to the limit needed, so their security deposits now stand forfeited.

The seat fell vacant following the death of former Punjab Governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, father of PTI's Hammad Azhar. Mian Azhar had won the seat in 2024 as a PTI-backed independent before joining the Sunni Ittehad Council.

Chaudhry Arsalan Ahmad, Mian Azhar’s nephew, was nominated by Hammad Azhar, while PML-N's Hafiz Mian Nauman, who lost to Mian Azhar by over 30,000 votes in 2024, was his main rival.

Faisalabad saw an intense electoral contest on Sunday, with two National Assembly seats — NA-96 and NA-104 — and three provincial constituencies — PP-98, PP-115 and PP-116 — all in play.

PP-116 Faisalabad-19

Unofficial results from all 190 polling stations show PML-N’s Ahmad Shehryar winning the contest with 48,824 votes, while independent candidate Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser came in second with 11,429.

NA-104 Faisalabad-10

All 375 polling station results have now been compiled, with PML-N’s Daniyal Ahmad finishing on top with 52,791 votes.

Independent candidate Rana Adnan Javed is ending the count in second place with 19,262, as per the unofficial tally.

PP-115 Faisalabad-18

Unofficial results from all 159 polling stations show PML-N’s Muhammad Tahir Pervaiz securing victory with 49,046 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Asghar follows with 1,898.

PP-98 Faisalabad-1

According to unofficial results from all 171 polling stations, PML-N’s Azad Ali Tabassum wins the seat with 44,388 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Ajmal follows with 35,246.

NA-96 Faisalabad-2

With all 345 polling stations reporting, PML-N’s Muhammad Bilal Badr wins the seat with 93,009 votes. Independent candidate Nawab Sher Waseer follows in second place with 43,025.

NA-185 — DG Khan

With counts from all 226 polling stations compiled, PML-N’s Mehmood Qadir Khan emerges on top with 82,413 votes. PPP candidate Dost Muhammad Khosa finishes in second place with 49,262.

Form-47 for NA-185 was released, with the Returning Officer (RO) reporting an overall turnout of 32.62%. According to the RO, a total of 2,172 ballots were rejected during the count.

The constituency recorded 79,253 male voters and 55,981 female voters casting their ballots. More details are expected as the election record is finalised.

As many as eight candidates were contesting for the seat, which became vacant after Zartaj Gul Wazir's disqualification.

PP-87 — Mianwali

Unofficial results from all 193 polling stations show PML-N’s Ali Haider Noor Khan taking the seat with 67,986 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Ayaz Khan ends the race in second place with 6,371.

The seat became vacant after the disqualification of former PA opposition leader Ahmed Khan Bachar. JUP's Khalid Masood Khan was among the candidates contesting for the provincial seat.

NA-18 — Haripur (KP)

Unofficial results from all 602 polling stations show PML-N’s Babar Nawaz Khan winning the seat with 163,996 votes. Independent candidate Shehrnaz Omar Ayub finished second with 120,220.

As many as nine candidates, including Erum Fatima of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), were in the race for the seat.

Six other independent candidates also filed their papers. The constituency has a little over 753,000 voters. The seat had fallen vacant after PTI leader Omar Ayub’s disqualification in a May 9 case.

PP-73 — Sargodha-3

Complete unofficial results from all 163 polling stations show PML-N’s Sultan Ali Ranjha securing the seat with 71,770 votes. Independent candidate Mahr Mohsin Raza finished second with 12,970.

PP-73 has five candidates in total. The seat was declared vacant after PTI’s Ansar Iqbal Heral was disqualified and later given a 10-year sentence in a May 9 case.

PP-269 — Muzaffargarh

Complete unofficial results from all 156 polling stations show PPP’s Alamdaar Abbas Qureshi winning the seat with 55,611 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Iqbal Khan finishes second with 46,510.

In PP-269, 17 candidates are trying their chances. PPP’s Alamdar Abbas Qureshi faces competition from independents Iqbal Khan and Abdul Hai Dasti.

The seat opened up after Qureshi stepped down before a recount request by Iqbal Khan was to be taken up.

PP-203 — Sahiwal-5

Unofficial results from all 185 polling stations show PML-N’s Muhammad Hanif winning the seat with 46,900 votes. Independent candidate Falak Sher finished second with 10,895.

NA-143 — Sahiwal-3

Complete unofficial results from all 442 polling stations show PML-N’s Muhammad Tufail winning the seat with 136,223 votes. Independent candidate Zarar Akbar Chaudhry finished second with 13,220.

Comments, celebrations, and grievances

On the social media platform X, Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob said that if the ruling PML-N secures five NA seats in these by-elections, “it will not need PPP votes for a simple majority in NA in future, or in other words, PML-N can stay in power without PPP’s support!”

PM Shehbaz congratulates winners

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent his congratulations to PML-N’s Tufail Jutt after he won the NA-143 Chichawatni by-election.

He said the win shows the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, the vision he had, and also all the work the party’s people put in on the ground.

Commenting on the outcome, the PM added that "it also shows the public’s trust in Maryam Nawaz’s efforts and the party’s commitment to serving the people."

"Voters in NA-143 have expressed confidence in PML-N’s dedication to addressing their needs," he noted.

PTI rejects NA-18 Haripur tally

PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that according to Form 45 from Haripur, his party’s candidate is leading by nearly 25,000 votes.

He expressed frustration that election office staff are uploading wrong results on the official website and said, “Today once again, the dark face of the ECP has been exposed to the nation.”

Qaiser added that the commission has completely failed on both administrative and operational levels, calling the entire election process a joke.

He suggested that it would have been better to issue a direct notification instead of holding the election, saying, “The whole electoral process has become a mockery.”

Lion' prevails

In a post shared on X, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb wrote "Alhamdulillah Sher," celebrating the party’s victory. Her video played a song saying “Dekho Sher Aya, dekho Sher Aya,” marking the Lion’s triumph. The post also featured images of Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz.

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