Imran Khan’s PTI routs ruling coalition in Pakistan’s Punjab by-elections

PUNJAB (PAKISTAN) — According to local media on Sunday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, defeated the ruling coalition by winning 17 out of the 20 seats up for election in Punjab by-polls.

According to Pakistani media, the vast coalition of powerful figures, including former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Vice President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and leader of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, is on the verge of suffering a significant defeat in the province. Only 2 seats have PLM-N in the lead, while only 1 seat has an Independent candidate.

Up until April, when then-Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar resigned following the federal parliament’s vote of no-confidence in Khan, Punjab was governed by the PTI party.

A portion of the party’s state parliamentarians voted in favour of the PMLN’s candidacy, which led to the PTI’s subsequent nomination for the position being rejected. Khan then successfully petitioned the Pakistani Election Commission to dismiss the state Assembly legislators for improperly voting against the party’s request, creating vacancies for 20 seats.

Sharif’s party now owns 165 seats, while PTI retains 163, thus it will be a close contest. Sharif and coalition members are in charge of the Assembly.

There are now 20 open seats in the Punjab Assembly, which has a total membership of 371, bringing the total number of MPAs there to 351.