Polling began at 8am on Sunday for by-elections across 13 National Assembly and Punjab Assembly constituencies, with voting scheduled to continue until 5pm. The seats largely fell vacant following the disqualification of PTI lawmakers convicted over their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots after Imran Khan’s arrest.
Six National Assembly seats are up for contest — NA-18 Haripur in KP, and NA-96, NA-104, NA-129, NA-143 and NA-185 in Punjab. Meanwhile, seven Punjab Assembly constituencies — PP-73 Sargodha, PP-87 Mianwali, PP-98, PP-115 and PP-116 Faisalabad, PP-203 Sahiwal and PP-269 Muzaffargarh — are also witnessing polling.
**Lahore: Tight Race in NA-129**
In Lahore’s NA-129, the seat vacated after the death of former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, his grandson Chaudhry Arsalan is contesting as the PTI-backed candidate against PML-N’s Hafiz Mian Muhammad Noman. Both parties shared contrasting videos on social media showing fluctuating crowds at rival polling camps.
PML-N leaders Bilal Farooq Tarrar and Rana Mashhood cast their votes, urging support for Noman. PTI’s Hammad Azhar alleged irregularities regarding ballot books, though officials clarified that all 15 books were duly issued as per Form-36.
**Low Turnout Reported in Faisalabad**
Faisalabad is hosting two NA and three PA by-elections, with voter turnout reported as low by midday. In NA-96, PML-N’s Bilal Badar Chaudhry is contesting, while in NA-104, Daniyal Ahmed faces three independents. Police footage from multiple polling stations showed sparsely attended venues.
Provincial seats PP-98, PP-115 and PP-116 also witnessed slow turnout. PML-N candidates Azad Ali Tabbasum, Muhammad Tahir Pervez and Ahmed Shaharyar — the latter a son-in-law of Rana Sanaullah — are contesting competitive races. Sanaullah said the polling process had been smooth, expressing confidence in a PML-N victory.
He criticised PTI’s boycott, saying Imran Khan had “never done real politics” and no code-of-conduct violations or arrests had occurred in the constituency.
