BAHAWALPUR: The voting process concluded peacefully on Sunday in the by-poll for Bahawalpur’s NA-168 constituency.
A close contest was expected between PML-N’s Malik Munir Iqbal Channar and independent candidate Wali Dad Cheema. The seat fell vacant after the death of Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar in August, whose son was now the ruling party’s candidate.
Polling began at 8am and concluded at 5pm. Voters present within the boundaries of the polling station were to be allowed to cast their vote past 5pm as well, according to Election Commission of Pakistan spokesperson Huda Gohar.
The polling process remained largely peaceful across the constituency, a statement by the provincial election commissioner said, noting that “routine complaints” were received.
In an earlier statement, the election commissioner said balloting was briefly disrupted at a polling station in Akhtarabad due to a brawl between voters after alleged harassment of election staff by political workers.
The Provincial Election Commissioner Control Room took immediate action, while the relevant district returning officer (DRO) and returning officer (RO) brought the situation under control with the help of police.
“The issue has since been resolved and polling is continuing as usual,” the statement added.
According to data from the provincial election commissioner’s office, a total of 483,143 people were registered in the constituency, including 248,259 men and 234,614 women across 292 polling stations. At the polling stations, 307 presiding officers and 941 polling officers and assistant presiding officers were deployed.
A day earlier, the Punjab Home Department requested the federal interior ministry that troops of army and Rangers (Punjab) be deployed in the constituency for smooth, peaceful and secure conduct of the by-election.
Leading up to the by-poll, three persons were injured on Sept 12 in an armed clash at Baqirpur in connection with the election campaign of Cheema, the son of former PML-Q federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema.
As per Rescue 1122 sources, the clash occurred during Cheema’s election rally between supporters of the rival candidates, and some of them resorted to firing, resulting in injuries to three people.
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