Pak by-election: Initial results show tough competition between ruling PTI and opposition PML-N

The ruling PTI and the main opposition PML-N were neck and neck as results started pouring in from across Pakistan after the by-election in 35 national and provincial assemblies on Sunday.

The polling for 11 national and 24 provincial assembly seats started at 8 am and closed at 5 pm local time, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The counting began soon after the closure of the voting.

Dawn reported that Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf PTI and former premier Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz PML-N were leading on four seats each in the National Assembly. Pakistan Muslims League-Quadi was leading on two seats and Muttahida Majlis Amal leading on one seat.

Geo TV reported that former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi won from NA-124 Lahore.

Elections were held in nine national assembly constituencies in Punjab and one each in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 24 provincial assemblies seats, including 11 in Punjab, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two each in Sindh and Balochistan.

Most of these seats were vacated by those candidates who had won on more than one seat during general elections on July 25. Prime Minister Khan had won five seats and vacated four.

Thousands of soldiers had been deployed to provide security at 7,489 polling stations. The deployment of troops started on Friday and they will remain on election duty till October 15.

The Election Commission had designated as many as 1,727 polling stations as 'highly sensitive' where extra troops were deployed and security cameras installed. They include 848 polling stations in Punjab, 544 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 201 in Sindh and 134 in Balochistan.

Soldiers have been deployed inside and outside of the polling stations in order to avoid any untoward incident.