CHAKWAL, Oct 20: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Sardar Mumtaz Tamman got a decisive lead against his rival Sardar Mansoor Hayat Tamman (Independent) in the by-election on NA-61 on Wednesday.

Till filing of this report at midnight, unofficial results from 314 out of the 363 polling stations showed that Mumtaz Tamman was leading with 58,576 votes by scoring 92,714 votes against his rival's 34,138.

Except some skirmishes in two polling stations, the overall polling remained peaceful though the turnout was very low. In Vero village, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) MPA Fauzia Behram reportedly slapped a PML N worker causing a little bit chaos but the polling did not stop. In another village named Qadirpur, PML-N workers opened fire into the air and allegedly harassed the voters to vote for Mumtaz Tamman.

In Dhakku village, PML N workers reportedly accompanied the voters to the polling booths and in most cases they themselves stamped the ballot papers.

“When I went to cast my vote, an influential person of the village, Mohammad Akram, followed me and asked me to put the stamp on Tiger (the election symbol of the PML-N). But I told him that it was my right to cast the vote according to my wish,” said Zaheer Ahmad, a resident of Dhakku village while talking to this correspondent.

In Thoha Mahram Khan village, women were barred from casting votes by elders of the area.

Tehrik Khudam-i-Ahle Sunnat had distributed leaflets carrying PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif's statement in which he had reportedly said that “Ahmedis are our brothers”. The whole tribe of Hussain, a religious leader of Talagang, boycotted the election on this. The tribe had over 100 votes.

Residents of three villages demonstrated an unprecedented unity in boycotting the election, it was learnt. The people of Balkasar, Lakhwal (tehsil Chakwal) and Darot (tehsil Talagang) did not cast a single vote. Their demand was common: “Gas do, vote lo” (Give gas, take vote).

The polling stations of these villages remained deserted. The election staff deputed in these villages kept on waiting for the voters but no one came. Khizar Hayat of village Balkasar told Dawn that their votes could not bring change in their life. “We are deprived of the facility of gas even though the adjacent villages enjoy this facility,” he said.

He said his village was situated near the motorway interchange but no MNA ever bothered to provide them gas. He said many candidates had visited their village but when they presented their demand before them, none of them could accept it.

Similarly, the people of Lakhwal and Darot villages did not cast their votes on the same ground.

While in Kot Chaudrian village, most of the villagers did not go to polling stations on the directive of former MPA and ex-district nazim Sardar Ghulam Abbas who was supporting Malik Saleem Iqbal, an independent.

However, when Mr Iqbal withdrew from the race, Mr Abbas asked the people not to vote for anyone.