ISLAMABAD: The disclosure that no woman vote was polled in 17 polling stations during the by-election held for a Punjab Assembly seat (PP-23) in Talagang prompted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to summon the returning officer (RO) concerned along with all the eight candidates to appear before it on Wednesday.

Sources told Dawn that RO Shakeel Ahmad had informed the ECP through a communication that the women electorates did not turn up to exercise their right to franchise in the 17 polling stations on April 18.

All eyes were glued on the by-election in Chakwal where the PTI had been allowed to contest on its traditional election symbol - bat - after a legal battle following ECP’s decision not to allocate any symbol to the party for its failure to meet the legal requirement of holding intra-party elections and submitting its details to the commission.

The PML-N won the seat with its candidate Malik Shehryar Awan bagging 72,071 votes, according to unofficial results from all the 198 polling stations in the constituency. The runner-up was PTI’s nominee Sultan Surkhru, who managed to secure 51,063 votes.

Eight candidates were in the run for the slot but a cut-throat contest was expected between Malik Sheharyar Awan of the PML-N and Sultan Surkhru of the PTI. The PML-Q, JI and PAT supported the PTI candidate whereas JUI-F backed the ruling party.

The PP-23 falls in the National Assembly constituency of NA-61 where the PML-Q has a large following.

Pervez Elahi lost this seat (NA-61) in 2013 general elections to the PML-N, but secured 98,414 votes.

Moreover, in 2013 elections the PML-Q’s Sardar Amjad Ilyas Kotehra was the runner-up with 46,231 votes against PML-N’s Malik Zahoor Awan who obtained 54,949 votes. PTI’s Surkhru Awan had stood third with 23,578 votes.

Both Imran Khan and Hamza Shahbaz had addressed the election gatherings of their respective candidates. PTI stalwart Jahangir Tareen also actively participated in the rallies and tried to muster support for his party in violation of the code of conduct that bared members of the national and provincial assemblies from visiting the constituencies where by-polls were taking place.

The seat fell vacant after the death of Malik Zahoor Anwar of the PML-N in February.

He had won the 2013 general elections with a margin of over 9,000 votes.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2017