Pakistan: PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz concedes defeat as PTI takes lead in Punjab bypolls

Punjab [Pakistan], July 17 (ANI): While the race for Punjab is still on, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz has conceded defeat after the PTI took the lead in the majority of the 20 provincial assembly constituencies which were up for grabs.
As per the unofficial results, the country's former Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI is leading in 17 seats of the 20 provincial seats in Punjab bypolls.
She said that defeat should be accepted with an open heart. "The PML-N should accept the results of the bypolls with an open heart and concede to the decision of the masses," Maryam said, reported Geo TV.
Maryam added that winning and losing are part of politics, therefore, the party should now focus on its weaknesses, identify them, and then overcome them. "God willing, everything will be fine," she said.
As per these reports, the massive alliance of big leaders like Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, PM Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is nearing a big defeat in the province.
There are only 2 seats where PLM-N is leading and 1 seat for Independent. Punjab was under the control of the PTI party until April when then-Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar resigned after the federal parliament took up a no-confidence against Khan.
The PTI's subsequent nominee for the position was defeated as a faction among the party's state lawmakers voted for the PML-N's candidate instead.
Khan then successfully petitioned the Election Commission of Pakistan to remove the state assembly lawmakers for illegally voting against the party's directive, leaving 20 seats vacant.
It will be a close race as Sharif's party currently holds 165 seats while PTI controls 163. Sharif controls the assembly with coalition members.
The polling began at 8 am and continued till 5 pm but in several districts, polling was stopped due to clashes, reported Dunya News. 20 seats fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) "de-seated" 25 PTI dissident lawmakers on May 23 for voting against PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz in the Punjab chief minister's election.
By-elections were held in 20 constituencies of Punjab Assembly.
A total of 4.57 million registered voters, including 2.46 million women, were eligible to cast ballots in the bypolls. As many as 3140 polling stations, including 731 male, 700 female and 1700 combined polling stations had been established across the 20 constituencies.
A total of 9,562 polling booths had been set up for the bypolls. The ECP had declared 1,204 polling stations sensitive and 696 highly sensitive. (ANI)