Syed Ali Kasim Gilani, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate in the NA-148 Multan-I by-election, defeated Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Barrister Taimur Malik with a significant margin, it was reported on Monday.
The by-election was held for the seat vacated following the resignation of Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani.
According to unofficial and unconfirmed results, the PPP candidate received 89,097 votes, while the SIC candidate got 53,572 votes, resulting in Malik losing by 35,572 votes in the crucial Multan contest held on Sunday.
The overall process of the polls was conducted peacefully with strict security measures in place. No untoward incidents were reported, despite police declaring 69 polling stations “sensitive.”
Pakistan Army and Punjab Rangers personnel patrolled the sensitive polling stations throughout the day, with CCTV cameras and walk-through gates installed to monitor the situation.
However, the polling staff complained about a lack of facilities such as cold water and fans at the polling stations. Poll monitoring bodies also observed an extremely low turnout, largely due to the scorching heat in the city.
Polling began at 8 am and ended at 5 pm without any interval.
The historically crucial constituency, previously labelled as NA-154 Multan-I in the 2018 election delimitations, was re-designated as NA-148 Multan-I for the February 8 elections.
The total number of registered voters in the constituency stood at 444,231, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
At least 2,248 polling staff were appointed at the polling stations, while 2,555 police personnel performed security duties.
Kasim’s victory in the by-election has allowed the Gilani family to create a unique political and parliamentary record, with all male members of the family present in the National Assembly, Punjab Assembly, and Senate.
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, the head of the Gilani family and former prime minister, currently holds the Senate chairman office. Three of his sons have been elected to the National Assembly, while one is a member of the Punjab Assembly.
Syed Ali Musa Gilani won the general election from NA-151 Multan-IV, Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani from NA-152 Multan-V, and Syed Ali Kasim Gilani from NA-148 Multan-I. Meanwhile, Syed Ali Haider Gilani was elected as MPA from PP-213 Multan-I.
