Despite victory, Kh Asif loses support by 3.17pc

SIALKOT: Despite the victory of senior central leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Khawaja Asif, the party loses support in Sialkot city - one of its stronghold since its inception in 1990. In 2013 elections, Usman Dar of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) was the main rival of Kh Asif in this constituency against whom he managed a narrow win by securing 117002 votes against 115595 votes.

According to the statistics of this constituency, Khawaja Asif obtained 23.95 percent votes of the total 488393 votes whereas Usman Dar of PTI got 23.66 percent votes. In previous elections, Kh Asif got 92803 votes of the total 342125 votes in this constituency against Usman Dar who got 71525 votes. A comparison of the results of 2013 and 2018 elections in NA-73, mainly comprising the Sialkot city and the cantonment area, reveals that the support for Kh Asif reduces by 3.17 percent in the recently held elections against the support of Usman Dar which increases by 2.76 percent. It is to be noted here that the NA-73 Sialkot-II (previously NA-110 Sialkot-I) underwent a change due to new delimitation of the constituency on the basis of census of 2017. The areas in new delimitation is dominated by the supporters of PML-N, including Adalat Garha, Gohadpur, Muradpur, Kaurpur, Harar, Buter, Dhattal and others. Similarly, some rural areas of NA-73, dominated by the PTI supporters like Dallowali and other areas, were excluded from the constituency and made a part of the NA-72 in new delimitation. In 2018 elections, Khawaja Asif faced defeat in all the union councils of the city and in the cantonment area but the results from the aforementioned areas helped him manage a narrow lead and victory over his opponent Usman Dar for the sixth consecutive time.