PTI, PMLN vote bank swells in Punjab by-elections

LAHORE: The vote bank of both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has witnessed an increase in the recent by-elections held in Punjab.

The PTI has won 15 seats out a total of 20, including those it had lost in the 2018 general elections to independent candidates who later joined it. Candidates like Saeed Niwani, Tahir Randhava, Ajmal Cheema, Ghulam Rasool Sangha and Sheikh Salman Naeem were the independents who defeated PTI candidates in the 2018 general elections, but in 2022, the PTI won all these seats. Besides, the PTI has won seven seats which it failed to win in the 2018 general elections.

Starting from PP-83, (Khushab district), Ghulam Rasool Sangha won this seat as an independent candidate by defeating the PMLN's Asif Bha. In that contest, the PTI got fifth position with 8,517 votes, even less than that of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. However, in the 2022 by-polls, the PTI’s Malik Hassan Aslam won with 50,749 votes against the PMLN’s 44,587. In PP-90 (Bhakkar district), independent candidate Saeed Akber Niwani won in 2018 and the PMLN candidate was runner-up with 44,915 votes. The PTI in that contest was on number three on the list with 12,994 votes. In the 2022 by-polls, PTI candidate Irfanullah Niazi won the seat, bagging 77,865 votes followed by 66,513 votes of the PMLN candidate. The PTI vote bank has witnessed a huge increase here from around 13,000 votes to around 75,000 votes. In PP-97, Faisalabad, the PTI suffered a defeat at the hands of independent candidate Ajmal Cheema in 2018. Cheema got 42,273 votes against the PTI’s 37,932 votes. The PMLN was on the number three position with 35,298 votes. In the 2022 by-elections, the PTI’s Ali Sahi won the seat, securing 67,022 votes against the PMLN’s 54,266 votes. The PTI vote bank has increased from around 38,000 votes to 67,000 votes here.

In PP-125 (Jhang district), Faisal Jabuana won the seat as an independent candidate, securing 50,913 votes in 2018, while the PTI candidate in that contest was on number two with 38,461 votes. The PMLN did not field its candidate then. In the 2022 by-polls, the PTI jumped from 37,000 votes to 82,297 votes secured by its candidate Azam Chela. Faisal Jabuana of the PMLN could get 47,413 votes. The same thing happened in PP-127, Jhang district. In 2018, independent candidate Aslam Bharwana won the seat with 27,399 votes against the PTI candidate who got 26,609 votes. In 2022, the PTI bagged 71,648 votes against the PMLN’s 47,413.The PTI won PP-140, PP-158, PP-167, PP-170, PP-202, PP-224, PP-272, PP-288 in 2018, but its MPAs switched loyalties and joined the PMLN. In 2022, the PTI not only won back the seats but also registered a huge increase in its vote bank. The PP-7 Rawalpindi seat is the one that the PTI has lost with a narrow margin of less than 50 votes and the party is planning to move the Election Commission of Pakistan for a recount. In 2018, independent candidate Raja Sagheer won the seat with 44,287 votes against the PMLN’s 42,382 votes. The PTI was on number three with 40,332 votes then. In 2022, the PMLN got 68,906 votes against the PTI’s 68,857.

Likewise, the PMLN won four seats in the by-elections and has also shown an improvement in its vote bank in most of the constituencies.