BAHAWALPUR — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Malik Munir Iqbal Chanar has won the NA-168 by-election in Bahawalpur district, according to unofficial results from all 292 polling stations, securing 79,306 votes.
Independent candidate Wali Dad Cheema finished second with 42,623 votes, trailing the winning candidate by a significant margin of more than 36,000 votes.
Polling Process and Voter Turnout
Polling for the by-election commenced at 8 am and concluded at 5 pm on Sunday, proceeding without interruption throughout the scheduled hours. The Election Commission permitted voters already inside polling stations at the official close of polling to cast their ballots.
A total of 20 candidates contested the vacant National Assembly seat, though the primary contest was between the PML-N candidate and the independent contender.
Seat Vacancy and Candidates
The NA-168 seat became vacant following the death of PML-N Member of National Assembly Malik Muhammad Iqbal Chanar in August. Malik Munir Iqbal Chanar, the son of the deceased lawmaker, was fielded by the PML-N, while Wali Dad Cheema, son of former federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema, contested as an independent candidate.
Constituency Demographics
According to election officials, 483,143 voters were registered in NA-168, comprising 248,529 men and 234,614 women. The constituency has a total population of 937,095.
Polling was conducted at 292 polling stations, including:
- 130 polling stations for men
- 130 polling stations for women
- 32 combined polling stations
A total of 896 polling booths were established for voters. Election duties involved 307 presiding officers and 941 polling and assistant presiding officers.
