CHAKWAL: PML-N candidate Malik Shehryar Awan was leading in the by-elections held in PP-23 on Tuesday.

He was leading by more than 14,000 votes against his rival retired Colonel Sultan Surkhru of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) till the filing of this report.

According to unofficial results obtained from 138 polling stations, Malik Shehryar Awan got 49,142 votes against 35,028 polled by Sultan Surkhru. Results from 60 polling stations were awaited.

Polling remained relatively peaceful except for a few small incidents in which workers of PML-N and PTI clashed.

“The PML-N men misbehaved with our women in Kot Qazi following which a quarrel broke out. One of our workers received injuries,” a PTI leader told Dawn.

He said another worker was injured in Thoa Mahram Khan.

Talking to Dawn, PTI’s district president Sardar Mansoor Hayat Tamman alleged that PML-N used state machinery to woo voters.

“After the announcement of the election schedule, development projects were launched in the constituency which was a clear violation of the election code of conduct,” he claimed.

The turn-out remained low as people were busy in their fields harvesting wheat crop.

As usual women in Dhurnal and Dholar villages were not allowed to cast their votes as elders had made a commitment years ago to keep the women away from voting.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2017