NA-168 Bahawalpur by-election result: PML-N's Munir Channar wins by 36,683 votes

Update, Monday 28 September 2026, 7am PKT: PML-N's Malik Munir Iqbal Channar has won the NA-168 Bahawalpur by-election on the unofficial count from all 292 polling stations. He polled 79,306 votes against 42,623 for independent Wali Dad Cheema, a winning margin of 36,683. The result is unofficial until the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notifies it.

NA-168 by-election result: final unofficial count

Channar took about 65% of the votes cast for the two front-runners. The 20-candidate ballot included 18 independents, and the Pakistan Peoples Party withdrew its own candidate to back the PML-N nominee, according to Geo News.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the winner, calling the result an expression of the people's confidence in PML-N and a continuation of his late father's service to the constituency.

How the count moved on Sunday night

Lower turnout than 2024

The seat fell vacant when PML-N's Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar, the winner's father, died in August 2026. He won NA-168 in the February 2024 general election with 124,529 votes. His son won with about 45,000 fewer votes, which is typical of a by-election with no major opposition party in the race.

The two leading candidates together polled 121,929 votes, about 25% of the 483,143 registered voters. The ECP's final Form 47 will give the exact turnout, including votes for the other 18 candidates and rejected ballots.

The numbers behind the poll

• Registered voters: 483,143 (248,259 men and 234,614 women), up about 7% from 447,963 in 2024.
• Polling stations: 292 (130 for men, 130 for women and 32 combined), 22 of them marked highly sensitive.
• Staff: 307 presiding officers and 941 polling and assistant presiding officers.
• Polling hours: 8am to 5pm on Sunday 27 September.

Complaints on polling day

The provincial election commissioner described polling as largely peaceful. Dawn reported that balloting was disrupted at a polling station in Akhtarabad after a brawl that followed alleged harassment of election staff by political workers, with claims of ballot tampering there. It also reported claims that police stopped voters from the Yazman area, Cheema's stronghold, from voting at the 3-Marla Housing Scheme station, and that women's voter lists were missing at some stations. Earlier in the campaign, three people were injured in an armed clash at an opposition rally in Baqirpur on 12 September.

What happens next

Presiding officers send their result forms (Form 45) to the returning officer, who compiles the consolidated count (Form 47). The ECP then notifies the winner in the official gazette, after which Munir Iqbal Channar can take oath in the National Assembly. A losing candidate can challenge the result before an election tribunal within the legal deadline after the notification.

If you live in the constituency

Voters can check their polling station and details by sending their CNIC number to 8300 by SMS, the ECP's standard service. If your CNIC has expired, our NADRA fee calculator shows current card fees before the next poll.