CHICHAWATNI - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Muhammad Tufail Jatt on Monday won by-polls of NA-162 Chichawatni (Sahiwal-III) by defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s candidate Rai Murtaza Iqbal.
According to unofficial results of the total 293 polling stations, Muhammad Tufail Jatt obtained 76,580 votes and won the seat while his main contender Rai Murtaza Iqbal of PTI secured 63,211 votes and Pakistan People’s Party candidate Shahzad Cheema got 15,343 votes. The polling started at 08:00am and continued till 5:00pm without any interval.
The seat had fallen vacant after disqualification of PTI’s MNA Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan.
All the polling process remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the constituency.
There were total seven cadidates in the run for the NA seat. However, main contest was expected among PML-N’s Ch Muhammad Tufail, Murtaza Iqbal of PTI and PPP candidate Shahzad Saeed Cheema.
The ECP said that there were over 300,000 registered voters in the constituency. Out of the total voters, about 175,000 are male voters and some 130,000 female voters.
For smooth and peaceful polling as many as 293 polling stations were set up, out of which 83 were for males, 84 for females, and 126 were combined.
About 22 polling stations were declared sensitive by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Elaborate security arrangements were made to avert any unpleasant incident. Heavy contingents of police were present to ensure transparency and maintain law and order. Army personnel were also deployed outside every polling station.
The seat fell vacant, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld a decision of the Election Tribunal to declare the election of PTI’s Rai Hasan Nawaz Khan null and void on the allegation of not declaring his assets with the ECP.