PML-N lose the battle of Jhang by-election in PP-78

Lahore : Independent candidate Molana Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi won the by-election of Jhang, beating the 24 candidates including the favourite PML-N rival.

According to unofficial results , Molana Jhangvi, who was backed by a banned outfit, has bagged 48,562 votes , while his opponent PML-N’s candidate Haji Azad Nasar Ansari could get 35469 votes.

Over 25 candidates including Molana Masroor Nawaz , Haji Azad Naser Ansari (PML-N) Sheikh Arfa Majeed (PTI) and Nasim Qadri (PAT),a transgender person Muhammad Arif commonly known as Madam Bota were contesting the elections.

The polling started at around 8:30 am and continued till 5 PM without any pause. The Jhang police have declared all 171 polling stations of the constituency as sensitive out of which 17 have been termed as very sensitive.

A cut throat competition was expected between Ahmad Ludhianvi of ASWJ and PML-N’s Haji Azad Naser Ansari; however, the ASWJ chief withdrew from PP-78 by-election paving way for Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, an independent candidate.

Another interesting thing about Jhang by-election is a transgender candidate, Madam Boota, who also enjoys good reputation among locals.

A total number of registered voters in the constituency is 2,06,562 which include 1,08,627 male voters and 97,935 female voters.

The Punjab Assembly’s constituency had fallen vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified Rashida Yaqoob of PML-N for concealing assets.

She was elected to the assembly in the 2013 general elections and runner-up candidate Mr Ludhianvi had challenged her election.

The ECP announced that it would hold by-poll in the constituency on Dec 1 for which Mr Ludhianvi, as well as Ms Yaqoob, also filed their nomination papers but Lahore High Court barred Ludhianvi from contesting the by-election.

However, the LHC had later allowed ASWJ chief to contest by-polls.

On the directions of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the authorities have declared Thursday a public holiday throughout the district on the occasion of the by-polls in PP-78.