Unofficial results from by-polls in the PS-114 constituency suggested that the PPP's candidate, Saeed Ghani, had won the election with 23,840 votes, DawnNews reported Sunday night.

According to the unofficial results, issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Kamran Tessori of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) received 18,106 votes, PML-N's candidate in the constituency Ali Akbar Gujjar received 5,353 votes, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)'s Najeed Haroon received 5,098 votes whereas Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) candidate Zahir Jadoon got 1,661 votes.

With more than 190,000 registered voters in the constituency and 92 polling stations, the constituency consists of the Karachi Administration Housing Society, Baloch Colony, Mehmoodabad, Manzoor Colony, Defence View and a block of PECHS.

Saeed Ghani took to Twitter to announce his victory. He tweeted: "Finally we did, salute to the great people of PS-114."

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also took to Twitter to congratulate Ghani and other party workers.

Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari also tweeted.

More than 30 candidates had filed nomination papers for the by-elections, but the real contest was expected among three parties — MQM, PPP and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

The seat was won by the MQM in the 1990, 1993 and 2008 elections but the party’s Rauf Siddiqi lost it to Irfanullah Marwat contesting on a seat of the multiparty National Alliance in 2013.

His victory, however, was declared void by the election tribunal in July 2014 and the Supreme Court in May 2017 dismissed Marwat’s appeal challenging the election tribunal’s decision, thus paving the way for the by-poll.

Tensions during polling process

During the polls, minor clashes were reported at some polling stations. Rangers personnel however kept the situation under control.

Political candidates accused each other of hatching conspiracies to rig the by-polls. PPP candidate Saeed Ghani also accused Pakistan Rangers, Sindh of showing a biased attitude towards him, prompting Director General Rangers Sindh Maj Gen Mohammad Saeed to reject the claim and advise those accusing Rangers to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan in this regard.

Maj Gen Mohammad Saeed also visited various polling stations and inspected the situation. He told reporters that though minor scuffles were reported from a polling station, the overall situation remained satisfactory.