Kulsoom Nawaz edges ahead in Lahore bypoll

Lahore: Initial unofficial results of the NA-120 byelection in Lahore showed that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) Kulsoom Nawaz had taken a healthy lead over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Dr Yasmin Rashid, repored the Dawn online.

The results of 170 polling stations showed that Kulsoom was ahead with 46,695 votes while Yasmin had bagged 37,264.

Pakistanis on Sunday voted for the parliamentary seat being contested by ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's ailing wife in a test of support for the family after the Supreme Court dismissed Sharif from the office in the Panama Papers scandal.

The NA-120 seat in Lahore is said to be a stronghold of the Sharif family. It fell vacant after the apex court on July 28 disqualified Mr Sharif on grounds that he was dishonest.

Mr Sharif's wife was fielded by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party for the by-election against Rashid and 42 other candidates, including one from the Milli Muslim League, a new party backed by Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ut-Dawa (JuD).

Nawaz recently underwent cancer treatment in London and has been recuperating in the British capital. Her daughter Maryam Nawaz managed her campaign in her absence. The Coalition for Election and Democracy (CED), an alliance of registered independent civil society organisations, in its exit-poll survey showed a slender lead for Nawaz.

The survey was conducted with a sample size of 1,433 voters and the responses were recorded at 55 sampled polling stations, the CED said.

“The survey results show that PML-N may bag 46 per cent of votes against the 40 per cent by closest rival of the PTI,” it said, adding that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) could manage only 1.9 per cent votes.

The election to the parliamentary seat is seen as a test for the PML-N party also because it comes ahead of the general election.