MULTAN: The NA-155 (Multan-II) and NA-158 (Multan-V) are the toughest constituencies where three key political heavyweights, including Makhdoom Javed Hashmi (NA-155 and NA-158), former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani (NA-158) and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi (NA-155), are in the run against each other, The News has learnt.
The PML-N has won the NA-155 (Multan-II) slot thrice in the past three elections. The PPP has won the NA-158 slot twice while PML-N had won it for a single time in the last general elections. Interestingly, Javed Hashmi reached the office of returning officer without his nomination papers. He stayed in the court while his servants went to his house and brought his nomination papers to submit. However, the PML-N has yet not decided about issuance of party ticket in both the constituencies.
The NA-158 is the traditional and ancestral constituency of former MNA of the PML-N, Syed Javed Ali Shah. Javed Hashmi always contested his elections from NA-157 (Multan-IV) but a portion of the constituency and union councils are attached in NA-158 and he showed his resolve to contest from there. Shah Mehmood Qureshi always contested against Javed Hashmi from NA-157 in the past elections but now he had moved to NA-155 and fielded his son Makhdoomzada Zain Qureshi from NA-157.
NA-155 (MULTAN-II): The constituency is previously known as NA-150 (Multan-III). At least 112,479 new votes have been registered under the new delimitations of 2018, whereas 373,331 voters were registered in the constituency in 2013 elections.
PTI candidate Shah Mehmood Qureshi won the slot in 2013 with 92,761 votes. He defeated PPP candidate Babu Nafis Ansari who received 12,208 votes and PML-N candidate Rana Mehmoodul Hassan who received 79,680 votes.
2008: PML-N candidate Rana Mehmoodul Hassan won the slot with 57,774 votes in 2008. He defeated PPP candidate Abdul Qadir Gilani who received 43,299 votes and PML-Q candidate Sheikh Fazal Ahmed who received 25,158 votes.
2002: PML-N candidate Rana Mehmoodul Hassan had also won the slot in 2002 after receiving 22,387 votes. He defeated Tanveerul Hassan Gilani of PML-Q who received 17,636 votes and PPP candidate Malik Mukhtar Awan who bagged 15,548 votes.
Two Punjab Assembly slots are the part of NA-155, including PP-195 and PP-196. PTI candidate Javed Akhtar Ansari won the PP-195 seat in 2013 with 40,977 votes, PML-N candidate Amir Saeed Ansari received 31,940 votes and PPP candidate Chaudhry M Yaqoob received 6,783 votes. PML-N candidate Rana Mehmoodul Hassan won the PP-196 slot after receiving 30,278 votes. He defeated PTI candidate Rana Abdul Jabbar who received 19,321 votes and PPP candidate Chaudhry M Hussein Arian who received 7,334 votes.
NA-158 (MULTAN-V): The NA-158 (Multan-V) was previously known as NA-152 Multan-V. At least 103,470 new voters have been added in the constituency as compared to 2013 when 332,921 voters were registered in the constituency. However, the number of registered voters has reached 436,391.
PML-N candidate Javed Ali Shah had won the slot in 2013 with 81015 votes by defeating PTI candidate Ibrahim Khan who bagged 64,611 votes. Syed Ahmed Mujtaza Gilani received 32,514 votes and Jamaat-e-Islami candidate M Khalid received 2,582 votes.
In 2008 general elections, PPP candidate Nawab Liaquat won the slot with 47,880 votes. He defeated PML-N candidate Asad Murtaza Gilani who received 11,923 votes and PML-Q candidate Mujahid Ali Shah who received 38,126 votes.
In 2002 general elections, PPP candidate Asad Murtaza Gilani had won the slot with 38,027 votes. He defeated PML-N candidate Javed Ali Shah who received 36,870 votes. PML-Q candidate Nawab Liaquat Ali Khan received 36,335 votes.
Two Punjab Assembly constituencies PP-203 and PP-204 are attached with the NA constituency.
The PML-N had won both the slots in the last general elections. PML-N candidate Raan Tahir Shabbir had won the slot in 2013 with 30,396 votes. He defeated PTI candidate Tariq Abdullah who received 22,073 votes and PPP candidate Mian Kamran Abdullah Marral who received 14,718 votes.
The PML-N also won the slot PP-204 in 2013 and its candidate Rana Ijaz Ahmed Noon won the slot with 26,930 votes. He defeated Rana Sohail Noon of PPP who received 19,729 votes and PTI candidate Raja Taraq Javed who bagged 9,072 votes.
