OKARA: Riazul Haq Juj, who contested Sunday’s by-election from Okara’s National Assembly constituency NA-144 (Okara-II) as an independent candidate, won by a big margin, according to unconfirmed results.

Mr Juj got 83,240 votes and the runner-up Ali Arif Chaudhry of PML-N secured 41,050. Mehr Adus Sattar, another independent candidate, received 11,270 votes. The candidates of two other main political parties, Ashraf Khan Sohna of PTI and Sajjadul Hasan of PPP, failed to put up a fight. Mr Sohna polled 7,105 votes and Mr Hasan got less than 2,000.

The candidates of the ruling PML-N, PTI and PPP could not even win in their own polling stations.

There were unconfirmed reports that media persons belonging to a private TV channel were manhandled by PTI workers at a polling station set up at Government Islamia High School, New Campus.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Juj said he had won the election because of welfare works of his family in education and health sectors without any political affiliation.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2015

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