The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won the by-election for the NA-171 National Assembly seat in Rahim Yar Khan.
Official results from all polling stations show that PPP’s Makhdoom Tahir Rashiduddin received 116,429 votes, defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Hassaan Mustafa, who garnered 58,251 votes. Although seven candidates contested, the main rivalry was between PPP and PTI.
The constituency has 526,973 registered voters, and 301 polling stations were established for the by-election, with special security measures taken, including CCTV cameras at 62 sensitive polling stations.
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PPP’s victory is seen as a major success in the region, where political competition with PTI has been fierce. Supporters celebrated, and Makhdoom Tahir Rashid expressed appreciation for the public’s trust in him.
Incidents of election code violations were reported, such as voters sharing videos of their ballots on social media and bringing mobile phones into polling booths, despite a ban. A PTI camp near a polling station was also removed for violating a rule that prohibits setting up camps within 100 meters of polling stations.
The by-election was held following the death of PTI MNA Mumtaz Mustafa in August. To ensure law and order, Section 144 was enforced, restricting large gatherings, and 2,700 police personnel were deployed for security.
