Umerkot by-election: PPP and PTI will probably face off in a close race
Early on Thursday morning, there were reports of a low turnout for the by-election to NA-213, a National Assembly constituency in Umerkot.
Voting began at 8:00 am and will run continuously until 5:00 pm.
The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA)-backed Lal Chand Malhi of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Saba Talpur of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are anticipated to face off in a fierce race. Taimur Talpur, a provincial lawmaker, is the son of Saba Talpur, the widow of the late Nawab Yousaf Talpur.
There are 498 polling places set up for the 608,997 registered voters in the constituency. 269 and 91 of the 498 polling places erected throughout the constituency have been designated as sensitive and highly sensitive, respectively.
On April 17, the district of Umerkot has declared a public holiday. Due to the passing of PPP leader Nawab Yousuf Talpur, the seat became vacant. By a significant margin, Talpur defeated Malhi in the February 2024 elections. Malhi received 38,648 votes and finished third, while he received 179,188 votes. Mir Amanullah Khan Talpur of the PML-N received 44,961 votes, placing him in second place.
The PPP has a stronghold in Umarkot. One of the PPP’s founders, Rana Chandra Singh, was a Hindu chieftain and former federal minister who was elected seven times from Umarkot to the National Assembly between 1977 and 1999.
Umarkot is located 114 miles from Hyderabad and 309 kilometres from Karachi, the capital of Sindh.
