Turnout lower than general elections

LAHORE
As expected voters turned up in good if not very high numbers to the polling stations in PP-147 and NA-122 and tension was seen among supporters of PML-N and PTI in different points.
Fortunately, polling in most of the other parts of the constituency remained peaceful and continued for eight hours amid heavy contingents of Rangers and police who were deployed to maintain security on the polling day. PML-N and PTI have set up camps outside the 282 polling stations to facilitate voters in the constituency.
Total registered voters in NA-122 are 347,762. Compared to the last general elections, in which turnout was 50pc, turnout in this by-election remained low.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the former Speaker of National Assembly and winner of this seat in 2002, 2008 and 2013 polls cast his vote in Sardar High School, Garhi Shahu. Barrister Amir Hassan, the PPP candidate from NA-122 who has also been in headlines for his petition against violation of Election Commission code of conduct cast his vote in Iqra School, Samanabad.
During the polling process, tension between PTI and PML-N workers was seen in the area of Basti Syden Shah, an area falling in PP-147 where, after chanting slogans against each other, they also had scuffle. In the area of Samanabad, the area falling under PP-148, the seat which PTI had won in 2013 and still have strong roots, a confrontation was also seen between workers of both rival parties. Police, immediately had to intervene to diffuse the tension.
The area of PP-147, the provincial seat falling under NA-122 remained centre of the political activity throughout the day and enthusiasm was seen among voters in the area of Baja Lines, Railway Colony, Garhi Shahu, Allama Iqbal Road. Mohsin Latif, the PML-N candidate was contesting against Shoaib Siddiqi of PTI. Both Mohsin and Shoaib have served as MPAs in past as Mohsin won from this seat in 2008 and 2013 while Shoaib Siddiqi got elected to PA in 2006 by polls on PML-Q ticket.
In PP-147, the total numbers of registered voters are 140767out of which 77729 are male and 63038 are female.
Compared to the last general elections, turnout in this constituency also remained low but despite that, voters turned up in good numbers in the areas like Baja Lines, Syden Shah, Garhi Shahu.
The political activists continued to chant slogans in support of their parties and meals were also served to the voters, visitors and supporters.
The area of NA122 was carved out while bifurcating previous NA-94 and NA-98 in the 2002 general elections. The area has traditionally been a battle ground between PPP and Muslim League or its likeminded parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami.
This history shows that in most of the areas which belonged to previous NA-94 and include the city localities such as Garhi Shahu, Railway Colony, Baja Lines, between 1970 to 1988, PPP took the lead mostly. In these areas, the PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto won in 1970 and in 1977 general elections as well, PPP emerged victorious. In 1985 general elections which were held on non party basis, Iqbal Ahmed Khan emerged victorious and all eyes were focused on this seat in 1988, when the then Co Chairperson of PPP, Benazir Bhutto contested her first general election and won with a decent lead over Mian Umer Hayat. Benazir Bhutto had also won seats from Karachi and another district of Sindh. She vacated the Lahore seat and unfortunately, in the by polls, PPP lost it in the hands of IJI’s Mian Umer Hayat. Umer Hayat also won the seat in 1990 while defeating PPP’s Salman Taseer. In 1993 while Mian Umer Hayat had breathed his last, PML-N fielded Mian Abdul Waheed, the brother in law of former President Gen Zia ul Haq, who after a tough clash with Salman Taseer emerged victorious.
In 1997 polls, Tariq Aziz, renowned TV celebrity was awarded ticket by PML-N head Nawaz Sharif who also won the seat over PPP’s Mian Misbah ur Rehman. From the areas which belonged to previous NA-98 and comprised of localities like Samanabad, Ichra, Bistami Road, Shadman, the figures like PPP’s Sheikh Mohammed Rasheed, Jamaat e Islami’s Mian Usman and PML-N’s Mian Munir remained the winner till 1997.
In the 2002, while this seat was made NA-122, PML-N fielded Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, PPP pitched Ch Abdul Qadir and Imran Khan, the Chairman of PTI also contested from this seat. Despite troubled times, PML-N won the seat and Ayaz emerged victorious from both NA and PP seat he was contesting from. The provincial seat vacated by PML-N was won by PML-Q’s Abdul Aleem Khan.
In 2008 general elections, Ayaz Sadiq won comfortably with big margin over PPP’s Omer Misbah and in 2013, amid huge controversies, Ayaz won again but had to go for re election after he was de seated by the Election Tribunal.