PTI wins another seat in GB; set to exceed 3/4th edge

GILGIT: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate, Syed Sohail Abbas Shah has won the Gilgit-III constituency of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Legislative Assembly in an election that was delayed for one week due to the death of the ruling PTI’s former candidate Jafar Shah.
According to the unofficial results received from all the 77 polling stations of the constituency, Syed Sohail Abbas bagged 6,873 votes while the runner-up, an independent candidate Dr Muhammad Iqbal, received 4,678 votes. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) candidate Captain (retd) Muhammad Shafiq got 4,654 votes. The PPP and the PML-N candidates respectively received 3,670 and 2,680 votes.
The new induction raised the number of PTI members in the legislative assembly to 17 including the six independent candidates, besides also having the support of the Majlis-e-Wahdat Ul Muslimeen (MWM), which has secured one seat during the polls after seat adjustment with the PTI. The ruling party now has support of 18 legislators out of 24 elected members. The PTI’s position will further consolidate after election on reserved seats and it will cross three-fourth majority in the house.
Seven independent candidates had secured success in the Gilgit-Baltistan polls and six of them have so far joined the PTI, giving it the numbers in the legislative assembly to achieve the two-third majority in the house of 24 members.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 15 staked claim on the GB government after the PTI emerged as the biggest party in last Sunday’s election for the region’s legislative assembly. According to the unofficial results of 23 constituencies of the GB, the PTI bagged 10 seats, leading other major political parties, including the PPP with three seats, and PML-N with two seats. – TLTP