PTI emerges as largest party with 115 seats

The Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the single largest party with 115 seats, after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday released the complete preliminary results for 270 of 272 National Assembly (NA) constituencies.

The ECP completed the process after almost three days when the general elections were held. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which won 64 seats came second, while the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) bagged 43 seats and finished third.

The elections to the remaining two NA constituencies, which were previously deferred due to multiple issues, would take place soon, The Dawn reported.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) which is an alliance of various religious parties in Pakistan garnered 12 seats while the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) won six seats. The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) won four seats apiece whereas the Balochistan National Party (BNP) bagged three seats.

Other parties such as the Awami National Party (ANP), Awami Muslim League (AML), Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaniyat have each garnered a seat respectively. Also, independent candidates won 12 NA constituencies. They are likely to play a crucial role in the formation of the government at the centre.

26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT) which was contesting for the first time failed to win any seat.

Meanwhile, the ECP has ordered the recounting of votes in at least five NA constituencies which may affect the overall final results.

Coming to the provincial assemblies of Pakistan, the PML-N emerged as the single largest party in Punjab, garnering 129 seats in the 295-seat Punjab assembly. However, the PTI is not far behind, as they have clinched 123 seats and could stake a claim to form the government in the province, according to The Dawn report.

The PML-Q finished third in the electoral race with seven seats, while the PPP won six seats. The BAP and Pakistan Awami Raj have clinched one seat each.

In Sindh, the PPP bagged 76 seats out of the 130 seats in the provincial assembly and will form the government without any coalition partners. The PTI came second and won 23 seats, while MQM-P clinched 16 seats. The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), comprising smaller regional parties, had aimed to give the PPP a tough competition but managed to bag only 11 seats.

Hardline leader Khadim Rizvi-led Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which made its electoral debut in this year's general elections won two seats, whereas the MMA managed one seat.

The PTI put up a good show in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where it clinched 66 seats in a house of 97. The MMA emerged as the second largest party with 10 seats, while the ANP garnered six seats. The PPP managed four seats, while six seats went to independent candidates, The Dawn reported.

In the 65-seat Balochistan provincial assembly, the BAP was the single largest party with 15 seats. The MMA and BNP took the second and third positions, with nine and six seats respectively. Other parties such as the PTI, BNP-Awami and Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) managed four, three and two seats respectively.

The PML-N, JWP and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) all won one seat each. Five independent candidates also won from Balochistan.

Pakistan went to polls on Wednesday and the counting of votes began soon thereafter in the evening, which was marred by tedious counting and allegations of rigging by major political parties, including the PML-N and PPP.

On Friday, a multi-party conference was called for by the PML-N to prepare a strategy over the alleged rigging of the General Elections 2018.

Chaired by PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and MMA President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the all-party conference has rejected the poll results and demanded a transparent re-election in the country.

--ANI