DERA ISMAIL KHAN, June 18: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal candidate Maulana Lutfur Rehman on Saturday won the by-election in the PF-66 constituency by securing 9,777 votes. Maulana Lutfur Rehman is the step-brother of opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Maulana Rehman’s closest rivals in the by-poll were independent candidate Ikramullah Ghandapur and Pakistan Muslim League nominee Sanaullah Khan Miankhel who polled in 7,077 and 6,509 votes respectively.

PPP candidate Ghazanfar Alizai and Abdur Rauf Baluch of the defunct Sipah-i-Sahaba-i-Pakistan also contested the polls and received 5,371 and 2,977 votes respectively.

A total of 87 polling stations were set up for the purpose of the election, but polling could only be held in 68 of them. Polling was not held in 19 women’s polling stations after the contesting parties agreed not to allow women’s polling in those localities.

The seat had fallen vacant with the death of Sardar Inayatullah Ghandapur, a former chief minister and father of contesting candidate Ikramullah Ghandapur.

The polling was held in a peaceful atmosphere and no untoward incident was reported throughout the day.

Even as candidates of other political parties wound up their election campaigns at about 9:30pm, MMA supporters scented victory and greeted each other on their good performance.

There are a total of 81,566 voters in the PF-66 constituency, out of which 46,373 are male voters and 35,193 are females. Observers say the turnout was estimated to be between 35 and 40 per cent.

The turnout in PF-66 was 39.37 per cent during the general elections of 2002. In that election Sardar Inayatullah Ghandapur secured 11,929 votes against Sanaullah Khan Miankhel’s tally of 10,832 votes.