Pakistan: PML-N retains key National Assembly seat in Lahore province despite low turnout

Pakistan's Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) retained National Assembly 133 by-election by an immense margin.

National Assembly 133 was hotly contested by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan's Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) while Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf was knocked out of the contest, according to the Dawn.

The bye-elections were held in the constituency as the seat got vacated after the death of PML-N's Pervaiz Malik.

Further, PML-N's Shaista Pervaiz Malik, wife of Pervaiz Malik, bagged 46,811 votes while PPP's Chaudhry Aslam Gill could secure 32,313 ballots in a race that remained largely peaceful, except a couple of minor clashes between activists of the two major rivals.

However, the voter turnout remained 18.59 per cent as out of total of 440,845 voters, only 80,022 used their rights to the franchise. At least 898 votes were rejected.

Earlier, Election Commission had set up at least 254 polling stations out of which 34 had been declared sensitive and 21 most sensitive as per reports.

Further, election authorities had deployed over 2,000 police personnel, besides the Punjab Rangers and the polling process continued from 8 am till 5 pm without any break, according to the Dawn.

Further, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif later congratulated party leaders on their success in the NA-133.

Further, he thanked voters of the constituency for reposing their trust in the PML-N and pledged to come up to their expectations on different fronts and issues, according to the Dawn.

( With inputs from ANI )