TAXILA: Ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates failed to retain their supremacy as PTI-backed candidates won the Wah Cantonment Board bye-election.

Being working day in the garrison city where 95 percent voters are government employees, the turnout remained very thin as polling stations largely wore a deserted look all the day.

The PTI candidates were contesting polls as independent candidates as they were not allotted the election symbol of bat; instead they contested the polls on the election symbol of cattle.

In Ward 4, Amjad Mehmood Kashmiri clinched 2,539 votes while PML-N Malik Saleem Khan secured 2,489 votes. There were 14 polling stations with 21,074 registered voters. However, only 5,452 voted with turnout remained 25pc.

In ward 8, PTI-backed Mohammad Zahid secured 2,686 votes while his rival Pervaiz Iqbal of PML-N secured 1,411 votes. There were 20 polling stations with 30,404 registered voters. However only 5,072 votes were polled and the turnout remained only 16pc.

The local bodies’ election in the cantonment area of Wah was held on September 12, 2021.

The two seats of Cantonment Board Wah fell vacant after the elected councilor Malik Arif Mehmood quit his ward 4 seat after developing differences with Cantonment Board authorities while ward 8 seat was declared vacant as councilor Malik Fahad resigned as he was elected as member Punjab assembly from PP-8 Wah Cantt on the PTI ticket.

In September 12, 2021 polls, the then ruling party PTI failed to retain its supremacy as PML-N candidate succeeded in clinching eight out of 10 constituencies. Now the PTI has four seats in the house.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2024