PPP retains NA-221 seat with big margin

SUKKUR: The PPP retained the NA-221 Tharparkar 1 seat by a wide margin, bagging over 102,232 votes, while the PTI candidate secured 52,522 votes, according to unofficial results announced by District Returning Officer, Tharparkar, on Monday.

The PPP candidate, Pir Ameer Ali Shah Jilani, received 102,232 votes while rival PTI candidate Nizamuddin Rahimoon managed 52,522 votes, giving a major boost to the ruling PPP, which claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led PTI had been rejected by the people of Sindh. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of PPP leader Pir Noor Muhammad Shah Jillani. Political analysts were surprised over the large turnout in the by-election, which remained 58.88 percent with total 160,459 votes being cast. As many as 78,061 female voters exercised their right to franchise while 87,935 male voters cast their ballot.

According to the district returning officer, the constituency has 281,900 registered voters and 318 polling stations were set up in the constituency. In 2018 election, the PPP candidate, Pir Noor Muhammed Shah Jillani, had won the seat by securing 79,098 votes against PTI candidate Shah Mahamood Qureshi, who grabbed 72,127 votes.