PML-N's Shaista Pervaiz Malik wins NA-133 by-election, unofficial results show

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) candidate, Shaista Pervaiz Malik has won the by-election in Lahore’s NA-133 constituency with 46,811votes, Aaj News reported.

Her opponent, Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Aslam Gill, remained second with 32,313 votes, according to unofficial results.

With this win, the PML-N has successfully retained the NA-133 seat, where the by-poll was held on Sunday, for the fourth consecutive time.

The seat in NA-133 had fallen vacant due to the death of PML-N MNA Pervaiz Malik on October 11.

Celebrations started in the PML-N camp even when the results from 10 polling stations were awaited.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif also congratulated all workers as well as their candidate for the massive victory.

“I also congratulate the winning candidate Shaista Pervaiz Malk,” Shehbaz said in a statement on Twitter.

“The PML-N has proved in every by-election that it is the most popular party (in the country),” Shahbaz said.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that the lower turnout in the Lahore by-election, which remained around 27%, proves that the PML-N and the PPP cannot win the game even on an empty field.

The polling started at 9 am and continued till 5 pm without break.

All set for by-election in NA-133 today

At the request of the Election Commission (ECP), the provincial home department deployed Rangers along with police during the NA-133 Lahore by-election.

The Punjab election commission had declared 199 out of 254 polling stations sensitive. Closed-circuit television cameras were also installed at the sensitive polling stations. The total number of voters in NA-133 is 440,485.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had allotted election symbols to candidates vying for the NA-133. There are 11 candidates in the run but the main contest was expected between Pakistan PML-N’s Shaista Pervez Malik and PPP’s Aslam Gill.

It may be noted that the nomination papers of PTI candidates, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and Musarrat Iqbal Cheema, in NA-133 Lahore, were rejected by the ECP during a scrutiny process. The PML-N had raised objections that their proposers and seconders were not from the constituency.