ISLAMABAD: Voter turnout in the NA-171 Rahimyar Khan-III by-election saw an 11% drop compared to the General Elections 2024, according to a report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
The by-election, although peaceful and well-organized, faced isolated incidents of procedural irregularities, mainly related to polling day canvassing and issues with providing results forms to polling agents and observers.
Despite a 2% increase in registered voters since the General Elections 2024, the turnout decrease was notable. The report highlighted that invalid votes also declined, from 3% of the total votes in the general election to 2% in the by-election.
The vote share of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) surged from 20% in the general elections to 64% in the by-election, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) saw its share fall from 43% to 32%. The provisional consolidated results (Form-47) were prepared before midnight on polling day.
The election day observed party-supported canvassing, with 68% of polling stations surrounded by party or candidate camps displaying banners and distributing voter chits. Additionally, 67% of the polling stations had party-sponsored vehicles providing transportation for voters. Irregularities such as the failure to provide polling agents with copies of Form-46 at 43% of polling stations were also noted.
The report highlighted that 22% of polling officers and 23% of Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) had not received training before their election duty, while 23% of security officials were also untrained for their roles.
A total of seven candidates, including one woman, contested the by-election. The PPPP won with a margin of 58,178 votes, securing the seat that became vacant following the death of PTI’s Mumtaz Mustafa, who had originally won it in the February 8 general elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had set up 301 polling stations, with eight declared highly sensitive and 54 categorized as sensitive.
