Independent candidate Jam Mehtab grabs PS-18 after re-polling

GHOTKI: Independent candidate Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar has secured victory following re-polling at two polling stations of PS-18 Ghotki, defeating the PPP candidate.

Unofficial results indicate that Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar garnered 1,592 votes from the two polling stations, while PPP’s Shahryar Khan Shar received 973 votes.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered the re-polling due to an unfortunate incident during the General Elections on February 8, where a ballot box and other records were intentionally set on fire by unidentified individuals at the Returning Officer’s (RO) office.

Before the re-polling, independent candidate Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar had secured 56,285 votes, while PPP’s Shahryar Khan Shar had received 54,705 votes.

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Following the re-polling, Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar’s lead increased to 2,199 votes.

It’s worth noting that Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar is a current senator of the PPP and is slated to retire in March 2027. After being denied the party ticket, he opted to contest the election as an independent candidate.

In the meantime, the ECP has confirmed that polling was conducted peacefully at polling station No.162 of PS-18 Ghotki. An ECP spokesman dismissed media reports alleging disruptions in the polling process, labeling such claims as unfounded rumors.

The Returning Officer for PS-18 affirmed that the polling process was conducted without incident, noting only an instance of aerial firing outside the polling station, which prompted the implementation of security measures.