Tareen nails the ‘lion’ in Lodhran by-poll

• PTI senior leader leads race for Lodhran NA-154 seat with a massive 135,280 votes while PML-N’s Siddique Baloch lags behind with 91,129 votes according to unofficial results from 291 polling stations
• Tareen says Lodhran people have rejected PML-N’s ‘Rs 2.5 billion bribe’, vows to serve constituents with sincerity

According to unofficial and unconfirmed results from NA-154 Lodhran, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Jahangir Khan Tareen has defeated Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Siddique Khan Baloch with a thumping majority.

Unofficial and unconfirmed results from 291 polling stations showed that Jahangir Tareen has bagged 135,280 votes, while PML-N’s Siddique Khan managed to get only 91,129 votes. The official result will be announced only after all the votes have been counted.

Addressing supporters after reports poured in from the polling stations announcing his victory, a jubilant Tareen said that the people of his constituency had rejected the PML-N government’s ‘bribe’ of Rs 2.5 billion by voting overwhelmingly for him.

“Nawaz Sharif should arrange Rs 2.5 billion that I’m coming to take from him,” he said, taking a jibe at the prime minister.

Tareen vowed that he would spare no efforts for the development and progress of Lodhran. He also said that he would resolve the problems faced by people in the constituency. He said that people of Lodhran have rejected the policies of the ruling party.

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan telephoned Tareen and congratulated him for his success in NA-154.

Earlier in the day, polling in Lodhran proved to be peaceful due to heavy security deployment by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Over 3,000 police officers were deployed at the polling stations for the entire day. Soldiers from the army were also appointed along with more than 1,100 volunteers. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had deputed Army personnel inside and outside the polling stations to ensure free, fair, and transparent by-elections.

A total of 419,181 voters were listed as eligible voters. The voting began at 8am on Wednesday and continued without any interval until 5pm. A total of 303 polling stations were set up in NA-154, of them 30 were declared sensitive and six were marked highly sensitive.

The notification for holding election in NA-154 was issued after Supreme Court’s October 28 verdict in which the apex ended the stay on conducting a re-election in NA-154 and lifted the restriction on PML-N candidate Siddique Baloch to contest the by-election.

On August 26, an election tribunal banned Baloch from contesting elections for life over allegations that he possessed a fake degree.

While talking to the media after casting his vote, Baloch said that PTI workers had earlier attacked PML-N supporters in the constituency. The PML-N workers responded to the assault, however, both the sides should have avoided clashes, he added.

Baloch alleged that Tareen’s character is like that of a defaced body. “PTI approached every tribunal it could and has always claimed to be a victim of rigging without exception,” he added.

Baloch further alleged that Tareen had distributed Rs 1 billion among the people, but the people are voting for the ruling party, adding that the results in the evening will clear everything.

He said that Tareen spent around Rs 500 million within the last three days “to hijack the election”. Baloch claimed that he was also offered money. Baloch added that PTI has no chance in NA-154, as he is the fifth generation of a family that always wins there.

Baloch had previously won the Lodhran seat during the 2013 general elections as an independent candidate and later joined PML-N. He was de-seated by an election tribunal in August due to a petition by Tareen, who claimed that the polls were rigged.