Page 171 - Muzaffargarh Gazzetteer

Chapter 34

DISTRICT ELECTION COMMISSIONER

The Election Office was set up in the district in 1967 with the Election Officer,
as the head, and 4 other junior ranking staff members. However, as the Office
evolved over the time, today it is headed by a District Election Commissioner
assisted by an Election Officer and 7 other junior ranking employees. There
is no sub-office in any tehsil of Muzaffargarh.

The first elections which were conducted by the Election Office in the district
were those of 1970 held under the Constitution of 1962. However, the first
elections which were conducted under the 1973 constitution were held in
1977. These elections later became disputed and were declared null and void.
After promulgation of Martial Law, the general elections were held in 1985
on non-party basis but the assemblies so elected were dissolved in 1988 and
new elections were held the same year. Since then elections have been held
in 1990, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2008, 2013 and 2018.

GENERAL ELECTIONS, 2018
The total number of registered voters in the district is 2033153 that
comprises 1131574 male and 901579 female voters. There are currently 6
National Assembly and 13 Provincial Assembly constituencies in
Muzaffargarh. In the general elections of 2018, the Pakistan Peoples Party
Parliamentarian (PPPP) was able to secure 3 National Assembly seats, 1 was
secured by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), and 2 went to the independent
candidates. As regards the Provincial Assembly constituencies, the PTI
turned out to be the largest party with 7 seats, independents won 4 seats
whereas 2 seats went to the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN). All
independent candidates later supported the PTI.
In the 2018 elections, one female candidate, Ms. Zara Batool, who contested
elections on the ticket of the PTI from PP-272/Muzaffargarh-V, also came out
victorious. Two sons of the highly respected politician, Nawabzada Nasrullah
Khan (Late), namely Nawabzada Iftakhar Ahmad Khan and Nawabzada
Mansoor Ahmad Khan were also elected MNA and MPA respectively; the
former as PPPP candidate and the latter as PTI candidate. Mr Makhdom Zada
Sayed Basit Ahmad Sultan, who contested elections as independent
candidate from NA-185/Muzaffargarh-V, secured highest number of votes,
i.e. 94672 in the district for a National Assembly constituency whereas Mr
Khuram Sohail Khan Laghari—also an independent candidate—topped the
table for Provincial Assembly seats with 48957 votes.

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