MMA candidate leads in Malakand bye polls
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Unofficial results say that Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal [MMA] candidate Bakhtiar Mani was enjoying lead against his rival candidate in NA-35 Malakand bye-polls on Wednesday.

From the results of 165 polling stations, MMA’s Bkhtiar Maani was reported to have got 31744 votes while his rival Salim Saifullah got 15591 votes.

MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed claimed on Wednesday that; 'all phones of election commission were closed down and government will be responsible if the results are rigged.'

Peaceful Polls

Special Correspondent of 'Pakistan Times' reports from Malakand that the polling for NA-35 by elections ended in a peaceful atmosphere with expected 35 percent plus turnout with no incident reported from any part of constituency which mostly consisted of mountainous terrain.

The NA-35 seat had fallen vacant due to the death of MNA Maulana Inayatur Rehman of MMA. Th polling continued without any break from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. and the voters remained in the premises of the polling stations after the expiry of the scheduled timing were allowed to poll their votes.

The polling ratio which remained thin during first four hours of the polling gained momentum in the afternoon as voters turned up in large number in the afternoon and the polling booths were seen jam packed with the electorates both males and females.

Great hustle bustle

There was great hustle bustle of the people around the polling stations and even at some places the traffic was jammed. The turn out which was below 15 percent in the morning shot up to 25 in the afternoon and reaches 35 plus by the closing time.

In fact the voters started arriving their respective polling stations after finishing their routine work, commented the Presiding officers when contacted in various polling stations.

The Election Commission and the Administration had made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth polling.

The District Returning Officer Alamzeb Khan along with his staff remained mobile throughout the day and visited countless number of polling stations to personally supervise the election arrangements and to remove the shortcoming if any.

Satisfaction

The contesting candidates also visited polling stations and expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the polling process.

The local leaders and people when contacted were appreciative of the election arrangements that ensured holding of fair and transparent balloting.

Minister of State for Water and Power Engr. Amir Muqaam said in Batkhela that he was satisfied with the election arrangments made by the Election Commission and said, the by elections was held totally in a free environment for which the credit goes to the government.●