After a dramatic day, PML-N's candidate Hamza Shahbaz Friday retained the post of the Punjab chief minister against Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervez Elahi through a three-vote victory.
Following the counting of votes, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari, citing Article 63A of the Constitution, rejected 10 votes cast by PML-Q members. As a result, Hamza received 179 votes, while Elahi managed to bag 176 votes.
SC order on Article 63(A): Who can give directions to MPs?
The Supreme Court of Pakistan, back in May, had ruled the votes of dissident members of the Parliament (MPs), cast against their parliamentary party's directives, cannot be counted.
Murad Raas claims PTI and allies grabbed 186 votes
PTI leader Murad Raas, following the counting of the votes, claimed that PTI and its allies had won 186 votes, while the PML-N and its allies managed to get 179 votes.
'Will see if Elahi will cast vote at 11am tomorrow or after court's intervention': Asad Umar
As the process of voting ended, PTI leader Asad Umar congratulated the nation for its struggle in favour of his party and said that those who won the Punjab by-polls had cast their votes.
"186 votes have been cast, and this would be the last chance to salvage a dying system," he said. "Now, the argument is whether the system will die on Sunday or Monday."
He added that the party will see whether Elahi will cast his vote tomorrow at 11am or will do so on Monday after the intervention of the court.
In a major development ahead of the voting, PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi said that his uncle, senior party leader Chaudhry Shujaat, has refused to back Imran Khan's candidate.
He said that he had gone to visit Shujaat but he refused to issue a video recording in this regard. "I have lost and Imran Khan has lost as well but Zardari has won," Moonis quoted his uncle as saying.
In response, former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed said that Elahi was the parliamentary leader of PML-Q.
"Chaudhry Shujaat had said twice or thrice before that he would back Elahi, but Asif Zardari has, once again, exposed himself."
Later, while speaking to senior journalist Ansar Abbasi, Moonis said that Shujaat had written a letter to the deputy speaker, stating that no one from the party will be casting their votes.
"Asif Zardari had assured Shujaat that he would make Elahi the chief minister of Punjab," Moonis said. "Zardari had also told him that Elahi would be the candidate for PML-N and allies."
Moonis added that his party will only vote for Imran Khan's candidate, adding that no one from his party will be casting a vote in favour of PML-N or its allies to become the next chief minister.
