The wife of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif contesting his vacant seat on Sunday bagged majority of the votes in Lahore's NA-120 constituency.
Kulsoom Nawaz, who has never run for public office before, secured 59,413 votes, beating rival Dr Yasmin Rashid of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in what was a close contest, according to unofficial results.
Yasmin, a gynecologist by profession, bagged almost 46,145 votes. The figures were an improvement compared to her 2013 contest against Nawaz Sharif which she lost by 40,000 votes.
Voting began at 9am and the polls closed at 5pm. Voter turnout stood at 34 per cent as compared to 51 per cent in 2013.
Thousands of voters cast ballots amid tight security at polling stations set up across NA-120 in Lahore, the heartland of Punjab, which is considered the power base of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Maryam had spearheaded the PML-N campaign for her mother Kulsoom - who is receiving cancer treatment in London with Nawaz at her side.
Maryam, who some PML-N leaders see as a future leader, has framed the poll as a chance for voters to give a bloody nose to the judiciary by handing the party a thumping victory.
“Will you take revenge for your disrespected vote?” Maryam asked supporters at a recent rally.
The Supreme Court in July disqualified Nawaz because he did not declare a monthly salary, equivalent to $2,722, from a company owned by his son when the veteran leader, who had held power twice in the 1990s, became prime minister for the third time. Nawaz denies receiving the salary.
