Major setback for PTI as PDM wins Nowshera seat
News Desk:
The ruling Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) suffered a major setback as the anti-government alliance won the Nowshera constituency during by-polls.
Polling for by-elections on two National Assembly seats, in Daska (NA-75) and Kurram tribal district (NA-45), and as many provincial constituencies, in Gujranwala (PP-51) and Nowshera (PK-63), was held on Friday amid a supercharged environment with traditional rivals contesting against each other.
According to unofficial results received on Friday night, PML-N emerged victorious on three of the four constituencies.
In 2018 general elections, the PML-N had won the NA-75 and PP-51 seats in Punjab. The party managed to retain both the seats after a tough contest, according to unofficial results.
But the PML-N’s victory from PK-63, Nowshera, came as a major setback for the PTI which has been ruling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2013.
PML-N candidate Ikhtiar Wali, who also enjoyed support of the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement, won the by-election by securing 21,112 votes against his rival candidate Mian Umer Kakakhel of the PTI, who got 17,023 votes.
The seat had fallen vacant after the death of PTI lawmaker Mian Jamshaiduddin, father of Umer Kakakhel. Former KP chief minister and incumbent Defence Minister Pervez Khattak had claimed that the PTI would comfortably win the election as he remained undefeated in his hometown.
The NA-75 constituency had fallen vacant after the demise of PML-N MNA Sahibazada Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah. The main contest in the constituency was between PML-N’s Nousheen Iftikhar and PTI’s Ali Asjad Malhi.
Major setback for PTI as PDM wins Nowshera seat
