According to unofficial results, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has swept the by-elections on six National Assembly seats and seven Punjab Assembly seats, leaving PTI-backed and independent candidates far behind.
Most of these seats fell vacant after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers were disqualified in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots that followed the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The vote, which began at 8am under strict security measures, continued uninterrupted until closing time at 5pm.
By-elections were held in six National Assembly constituencies — NA-18 Haripur, NA-96 and NA-104 Faisalabad, NA-129 Lahore, NA-143 Sahiwal and NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan. Polling also took place in 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.
Imran Khan’s PTI boycotted the by-elections in all constituencies except Lahore and Haripur. Meanwhile, the PML-N contested on all seats except Muzaffargarh, and the PPP fielded candidates on two National Assembly seats and one Punjab Assembly seat.
After polling ended, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja told reporters that the by-elections were held peacefully. He thanked the Punjab and KP governments for their cooperation.
NA-129 — Lahore
Unofficial and unconfirmed results from all 334 polling stations in NA-129 Lahore have now been compiled.
PML-N’s Hafiz Mian Muhammad Nauman leads the race with 63,441 votes, while independent candidate Arsalan Ahmed is in second place with 29,099 votes, according to the unconfirmed tally.
The seat became vacant after the death of former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, father of PTI’s Hammad Azhar. Mian Azhar won the seat in the 2024 general elections as a PTI-backed independent before joining the Sunni Ittehad Council.
Chaudhry Arsalan Ahmed, Mian Azhar’s nephew, entered the contest on Hammad Azhar’s nomination. His main opponent was PML-N’s Hafiz Mian Nauman, who had previously lost to Mian Azhar by more than 30,000 votes in 2024.
A total of 17 candidates, including several independents, contested the seat.
Faisalabad Seats:
Faisalabad witnessed a competitive electoral day on Sunday, with two National Assembly seats — NA-96 and NA-104 — and three Punjab Assembly seats — PP-98, PP-115 and PP-116 — up for contest.
PP-116 Faisalabad-19
Unofficial results from all 190 polling stations show PML-N’s Ahmad Shehryar winning the seat with 48,824 votes. Independent candidate Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser finished second with 11,429 votes.
NA-104 Faisalabad-10
All 375 polling station results have been compiled, and PML-N’s Daniyal Ahmad has secured the top position with 52,791 votes. Independent candidate Rana Adnan Javed is in second place with 19,262 votes, according to the unofficial tally.
PP-115 Faisalabad-18
Unofficial results from all 159 polling stations indicate that PML-N’s Muhammad Tahir Pervaiz has won the constituency with 49,046 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Asghar trails with 1,898 votes.
PP-98 Faisalabad-1
According to unofficial results from all 171 polling stations, PML-N’s Azad Ali Tabassum has won the seat with 44,388 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Ajmal is in second place with 35,246 votes.
NA-96 Faisalabad-2
With all 345 polling stations reporting, PML-N’s Muhammad Bilal Badr has secured victory with 93,009 votes. Independent candidate Nawab Sher Waseer follows in second place with 43,025 votes.
NA-185 — Dera Ghazi Khan
With all 226 polling stations counted, PML-N’s Mehmood Qadir Khan leads the constituency with 82,413 votes. PPP’s Dost Muhammad Khosa is in second place with 49,262 votes.
Form-47 released by the Returning Officer shows a voter turnout of 32.62%, with 2,172 ballots rejected during the count. A total of 79,253 men and 55,981 women cast their votes. The seat had eight contestants and fell vacant after the disqualification of Zartaj Gul Wazir.
PP-87 — Mianwali
Unofficial results from all 193 polling stations show PML-N’s Ali Haider Noor Khan winning the seat with 67,986 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Ayaz Khan finishes second with 6,371 votes.
The seat fell vacant after the disqualification of former opposition leader Ahmed Khan Bachar. JUP’s Khalid Masood Khan was also among the contestants.
NA-18 — Haripur (KP)
Unofficial results from all 602 polling stations confirm PML-N’s Babar Nawaz Khan as the winner with 163,996 votes. Independent candidate Shehrnaz Omar Ayub finishes second with 120,220 votes.
Nine candidates, including PPP’s Erum Fatima, took part in the race. Six other independents were also on the ballot. The seat has over 753,000 registered voters and became vacant after PTI leader Omar Ayub’s disqualification in a May 9 case.
PP-73 — Sargodha-3
Complete unofficial results from all 163 polling stations show PML-N’s Sultan Ali Ranjha securing the seat with 71,770 votes. Independent candidate Mahr Mohsin Raza is in second place with 12,970 votes.
Five candidates contested the seat, which became vacant after PTI’s Ansar Iqbal Heral was disqualified and later sentenced to 10 years in a May 9 case.
PP-269 — Muzaffargarh
Complete unofficial results from all 156 polling stations show PPP’s Alamdaar Abbas Qureshi winning with 55,611 votes. Independent candidate Muhammad Iqbal Khan follows with 46,510 votes.
Seventeen candidates were in the running. PPP’s Alamdar Abbas Qureshi faced competition mainly from independents Iqbal Khan and Abdul Hai Dasti. The seat opened after Qureshi stepped down ahead of a recount request filed by Iqbal Khan.
PP-203 — Sahiwal-5
Unofficial results from all 185 polling stations show PML-N’s Muhammad Hanif taking the seat with 46,900 votes. Independent candidate Falak Sher finishes second with 10,895 votes.
NA-143 — Sahiwal-3
Complete unofficial results from all 442 polling stations place PML-N’s Muhammad Tufail in the lead with 136,223 votes. Independent candidate Zarar Akbar Chaudhry is second with 13,220 votes.
