MUZAFFARGARH/FAISALABAD/VEHARI - Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday bagged two National Assembly seats in by-elections while the ruling party in Punjab, PML-N, managed to retain the hotly contested PP-63, Faisalabad. The other provincial assembly seat, PP-259 Muzaffargarh, won by independent candidate Basit Ahmed Sultan. PPP candidate Jamshed Ahmed Dasti, who resigned for holding a fake degree, retained NA-178 Muzaffargarh as he bagged 54,656 votes while his closest rival Nawabzada Iftikhar of Pakistan Democratic Party (PDP) got 50,913 votes. In NA-167, Asghar Ali Jatt of PPP won the battle with clear margin after obtaining 69,475 votes. Nazir Ahmed Arain was second with 43,519 votes while Shahid Mehdi Naseem of PML-N was a distanced third with 27,384. Mian Ajmal Asif made sure that Rana Aftab of PPP, provincial chief of the party, could not succeed in his second successive attempt to get elected from PP-63 Faisalabad. Ajmal got 31173 votes while Rana obtained 22,233 votes. In PP-259 Muzaffargarh, Basit Ahmed Sultan, an independent candidate, won the show. He grabbed 32,512 votes while his rival PPP candidate Samiullah Leghari bagged 30,247 votes. By-elections were held for two NA constituencies of NA-167 Vehari and NA-178 Muzaffargarh, and for two Punjab Assembly seats, PP-63 Faisalabad and PP-259 Muzaffargarh, during which a large number of voters came out to exercise their right to franchise. On the other hand, a worker of Pakistan National Muslim League (PNML) was killed in a clash between the PPP and PNML activists at Chak 67-JB Sadhar, Jhang Road, during the polling for PP-63, while a polling agent of Pakistan Democratic Party (PDP) Nawabzada Iftikhar Khan was shot dead at Govt Higher Secondary School Shah Jamal in NA-178 Muzaffargarh. Nawabzada Iftikhar accused a PPP worker of killing his supporter. After the incident, people came out on the streets and blocked a road by burning tyres. In PP-63, people cast their votes without any interruption amid strict security arrangements, as a neck-and-neck fight was witnessed between the PPP candidate Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan, provincial chief of the party, and Mian Ajmal Asif from PML-N. Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM) candidate Mian Abdul Qayyum also expected to bag some votes but PNML Chairman Ch Amjad Warraich remained unable to attract the voters. The total number of registered voters in PP-63 is 119,455, and according to some estimates, more than 80 per cent of them came out of their homes to exercise their right to franchise at 110 polling stations set up by the Election Commission. Twenty-five each of these polling stations were meant exclusively for men and women, with remaining 60 having segregated space for both. The total number of polling booths was 281 with 161 for men and 120 for women. Except the violence at Chak 67-JB, the polling continued till evening in a peaceful manner. The exact turnout can be gauged by the fact that a large number of women thronged the polling stations along with their children. The PML-N and the PPP members of National and Punjab assemblies were easily visible shuttling between various polling stations. The prominent among them were PPP Secretary Information Fauzia Wahab, Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan and Senior Minister Punjab Raja Riaz. Around 2,500 police and elite force personnel performed duties during the by-election. The constituency was divided into four zones, eight circles and eighteen sectors, which also included six SPs, 11 DSPs, 28 inspectors and 190 ASIs. During the polling in NA-167 Vehari, many incidents of brawl were reported while police held six personnel of Frontier Constabulary for interfering in the electoral process. According to initial estimates, turnout remained 30 to 40 per cent. Reportedly, the polling for by-election in NA-167 was generally peaceful while some incidents of brawl and clash between supporters of the political workers were reported. A tough competition is expected between Asghar Ali Jatt (PPP), Syed Shahid Mehdi Naseem (PML-N) and Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad Arain (Awami Ittehad Group). A scuffle was reported at Chak 249/EB, as policemen tried to manipulate the voters and former MNA Nazir Ahmad Jatt slapped the responsible cops. The policemen also misbehaved with media teams as well. In Chak 253/EB, supporters for Shahid Mehdi Naseeem and Nazir Ahmad Arain clashed, which resulted in injuries to three of them. In Chak 493/EB, 175/EB and E-Block Habib Colony polling remained suspended after dispute of casting votes between the agents of the candidates. The police arrested six FC officials for entering a polling station. They are identified as Raheem Bukhsh, Munawwar Khan, Munir Khan, Muhammad Javed, Nusrat Khan, Nizam Din and Muhammad Sadiq while their vehicle was also taken into custody. Police have also started tracing 14 others who managed to flee the scene. About 20 FC men entered the polling station in Chak 249, which prompted immediate intervention by the police. Police sources said FC personnel were not called by the Punjab government who were being interrogated. The FC men said they were sent on the orders of DIG FC Inayatullah Farooq.