By-poll in Gujranwala's NA-77, Sahiwal's PP-203 concludes

By-elections in Gujranwala's NA-77 and Sahiwal's PP-203 concluded on Sunday. The seat in NA-77 had been vacated after the death of five-term MNA Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk on September 11. His son, Rashid Basheer Virk, is among the 18 candidates contesting the poll. Notable opposition parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), have not endorsed the by-election.

Polling officials were also summoned by the Election Commissioner's office for potential violations of the Code of Conduct, including the visit of Information Minister Attaullah Tarar to the constituency by helicopter. In PP-203, the by-election took place following the demise of PML-N MPA Chaudhry Muhammad Hanif Jutt. This marks the second by-election in the constituency since 2024.

Initially won by independent candidate Rai Murtaza Iqbal, the seat was later disqualified due to an anti-terrorism court conviction. Jutt secured victory in the 2025 by-election with 46,820 votes, narrowly defeating Falik Sher, an independent candidate, by 10,975 votes. Approximately 1,370 polling staff, comprising 574 women and 796 men, were deployed across 185 polling stations.

The District Police also provided additional security with 1,100 personnel. The constituency featured 185 polling stations, categorized into 11 Category A, 37 Category B, and 137 Category C stations. A detailed traffic management plan was also implemented to ensure smooth voter turnout.