Bahawalpur: Voters in the NA-168 Bahawalpur-V constituency participated in a by-election last Sunday, marked by a low voter turnout and an increased vote share for the winning party. According to Free and Fair Election Network, Malik Muhammad Iqbal of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who had previously won the seat in the 2024 general elections, vacated it following his death in August 2026.

The by-election saw a voter turnout of 29.46 percent, a notable decrease from the 47.77 percent recorded during the 2024 general elections. Female voter turnout also saw a decline, dropping from 43.4 percent in 2024 to 33.7 percent in the by-election. Conversely, male voter turnout increased to 66.3 percent, up by approximately 10 percent from the previous election.

The number of invalid votes decreased in this election, accounting for one percent of the total votes, down from 1.5 percent in the 2024 elections. Meanwhile, the PML-N's vote share increased by approximately three percent, securing 61.7 percent of the total votes compared to 58.2 percent in the previous election.

The constituency saw an increase of approximately 35,180 registered voters since February 2024, including 20,384 women. However, female voter turnout varied significantly across polling stations. At Polling Station No. 224, Government Workers Welfare Girls High School, only six percent of registered female voters cast their votes, while Polling Station No. 276, Government Girls Elementary School, recorded an 81 percent female turnout.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reported that 20 candidates contested the by-election, with 18 running as independents and two representing political parties. The ECP established 292 polling stations for the election, serving over 483,143 registered voters, and classified 16 stations as highly sensitive and 87 as sensitive.

The Returning Officer prepared the Provisional Consolidated Statement of the Results by approximately 12:30 p.m. on the day of the election.