Voters in NA-168 Bahawalpur-V went to the polls last Sunday (September 27, 2026) to elect their representative to the National Assembly in a by-election that was marked by low voter turnout and a decline in the number of invalid votes.

Malik Muhammad Iqbal of the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) won the constituency in GE-2024, defeating Samiullah Choudhry, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidate, who secured 52,270 votes and finished second. The seat fell vacant in August 2026 following the death of Malik Muhammad Iqbal.

Lower Voter Turnout

The by-election recorded a voter turnout of 29.46 percent, significantly lower than the 47.77 percent turnout recorded in GE-2024.

Female voter turnout also declined, falling from 43.4 percent in GE-2024 to 33.7 percent in the by-election. In contrast, male voter turnout increased to 66.3 percent as compared to 56.6 percent in GE-2024, representing an increase of approximately 10 percent.

Decline in Invalid Votes

The number of invalid votes declined as compared to GE-2024. Invalid votes accounted for 1.5 percent of the total votes polled in the constituency during GE-2024, while this proportion decreased to one percent in the by-election.

Increase in Winning Party’s Vote Share

The winning party’s vote share increased by approximately three percent in the by-election as compared to the votes polled in GE-2024. The PML-N secured 58.2 percent of the total votes polled in the constituency in GE-2024, which increased to 61.7 percent in by-election.

Women’s Voter Participation

The constituency recorded an increase of approximately 35,180 registered voters, including 20,384 women, as compared to the votes registered in in February 2024. At approximately 23 polling stations, the proportion of women who cast their votes was below the 33.7 percent female turnout recorded in the constituency. The lowest female turnout was recorded at Polling Station No. 224, Government Workers Welfare Girls High School, Commercial Colony Link Railway Road, Bahawalpur (Female-I), where only six percent (84) of the 1,423 registered female voters cast their votes.

In contrast, the highest female turnout was recorded at Polling Station No. 276, Government Girls Elementary School, Bindra, Bahawalpur (Female-I). Of the 2,184 registered female voters at this polling station, approximately 81 percent exercised their right to vote.

Contesting Candidates

According to the List of Contesting Candidates (Form-33) published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on its website, a total of 20 candidates contested the by-election, including 18 men and two women.

Of the 20 candidates, 18 contested the by-election as independents, while two were affiliated with political parties, one with the PML-N and the other with the Mazloom Olsi Tehreek Pakistan (MOTP).

Polling Arrangements and Security Classification

ECP established 292 polling stations for the by-election, comprising 130 male, 130 female and 32 combined polling stations. These polling stations contained a total of 896 polling booths, including 459 for men and 437 for women.

The polling arrangements were designed to cater to more than 483,143 registered voters in the constituency, comprising 248,529 male and 234,614 female voters.

The ECP classified 16 polling stations as highly sensitive and 87 as sensitive, while the remaining polling stations were classified as normal.

Consolidation of Results

According to the Returning Officer (RO), the Provisional Consolidated Statement of the Results of the Count (Form-47) for the constituency had been prepared by approximately 12:30 p.m.

Download the Provisional Consolidated Statements of the Results of the Count (Form-47) for the By-Election and General Election 2024 at page number 243. Final list of contesting candidates of NA-168 Bahawalpur-V By-election.