PTI, PPP to face off in Rahim Yar Khan

More than 150 candidates, including five female candidates to contest elections

BAHAWALPUR: During the upcoming general elections, a tough competition is expected between the candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Rahim Yar Khan.

More than 150 candidates will contest elections from six National Assembly and 13 Provincial Assembly constituencies, which include the candidates of PTI, PPP, PML-N and five female candidates.

According to the current political scenario of Rahim Yar Khan District, PML N is facing a tough time due to weak political campaign and people are not willing to test them again and seem interested in voting for new faces.



On the other hand, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s successful public gatherings in the district have strengthened the political campaign for his candidates. Therefore, in District Rahim Yar Khan a tough competition will be seen between the candidates of PTI and PPP and in some constituencies, independent candidates are being given more preference.

In National Assembly’s constituency NA-175 Liaquatpur, a tough competition between PTI’s Makhdoom Mubeen and PPP’s Qutab Fareed Koreja is expected while independent candidate Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi who has the support of PML-N is expected to give them a tough time.

In National Assembly’s constituency NA-176 Khanpur, PTI’s Mian Ghaus, PPP’s Major (retd ) Tanveer Hussain Syed, PML-N’s Sheikh Fayyazuddin and independent candidate Chaudhry Azhar will be contesting elections. In this constituency PTI’s candidate holds a strong position because PML-N’s candidate Sheikh Fayyazuddin and PPP’s Major (retd) Tanveer Hussain have been members of the National Assembly in the past while Mian Ghaus is PTI’s district president and most of the factions in the constituency have pledged their support to him.

In National Assembly’s constituency NA-177 Mianwali Qureshian Makhdoom Shahabuddin and PML-N’s Makhdoom Moeenuddin Ali Hashmi and independent candidate Raees Muhammad Ahsan Abid will be contesting from this constituency. In this constituency position of PML-N’s candidate and independent candidate is weak due to which PTI and PP’s candidate will have the tough competition.

In National Assembly’s constituency NA-178, Jamaldin Wali PPP’s Makhdoom Syed Mustafa Mehmood, PTI’s Raees Mehboob Ahmad, and PML-N’s Maulvi Tariq Chauhan will be facing each other as this constituency is under the influence of PPP South Punjab’s president and former Governor Punjab Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood. Therefore, here the position of PPP is sufficiently strong.

In National Assembly’s constituency NA-179 Rahim Yar Khan, PML N’s Mian Imtiaz, PTI’s Javed Waraich and PPP’s Mian Aamir Shahbaz will be contesting elections. PTI and PPP candidates are in tough competition with each other.



In National Assembly’s constituency NA-180 Sadiqabad, PML N’s Arshad Lagari, PTI’s Rafiq Haider Lagari and PPP’s Makhdoom Murtaza are contesting elections. In the previous term, PML- N’s Arshad Lagari has completed many projects in the constituency as an MNA, therefore, he has the upper hand while PPP and PTI’s candidate will give him a tough time. Moreover, transporter Nadeem Abbas Cheema will utilise their energies on breaking the PML N’s vote bank and impact on the final result of this constituency.

Similarly, in the 13 constituencies of Provincial Assembly, a tough competition is expected.

In PP-255 PTI’s Makhdoom Masood Alam, PPP’s Ghazanfar Langah and an independent candidate Malik Azeem Baksh Naich will have a tough competition. In PP-256 PPP’s Qazi Ahmad Saeed, PTI’s Aamir Chandia and PML-N’s Asghar Koreja will be contesting elections while Nazeer Khan Chandia will be contesting as an independent candidate but collectively real competition will be seen among PTI and PPP’s candidates.

In PP-257 PTI’s Chaudhry Masood, PPP’s Chaudhry Jahanzeb and PML-N’s Mian Islam Aslam are facing each other. In this constituency as the position of PML-N’s candidate is dwindling real competition will be witnessed among PPP and PTI candidates. In PP-258 PTI’s Mian Shafi Muhammad, PPP’s Mian Muhammad Aslam Advocate and PML-N’s Syed Gul Hassan Shah will be facing each other. In this constituency real competition is between PTI and PPP candidates.

In PP-259, PTI’s Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, PML-N’s Nawaz Khan Rind, PPP’s Makhdoom Irtiza Hashmi are contesting elections and all of them are giving tough time to each other. In PP-260 PTI’s Seth Majid, PML-N’s Haji Arshad, PPP’s Raees Sohail, and an independent candidate Ejaz Shafi will be facing each other in elections. In this constituency, Chaudhry Ejaz Shafi holds a strong position due to his previous performance.

In PP-261 PTI’s Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, PML-N’s Imaduddin Hashmi, PPP’s Makhdoom Irtiza Hashmi and an independent candidate Abdul Rauf Mukhtar will be contesting elections. In this constituency, PML-N’s candidate has a weak position so real competition will be in between PTI and PPP.

In PP-262, PTI’s Chaudhry Asif Majeed, PPP’s Safdar Kanjoo, and PML -N’s Umar Jaffar and an independent candidate Rana Raheel will be contesting elections. In this constituency, a tough competition is expected between PTI and PPP candidates while an independent candidate is likely to break PTI’s vote bank.

In PP-263, PTI’s Chaudhry Shafiq, PML-N’s Mehmoodul Hassan, and PPP’s Makhdoom Usman will be contesting elections. In this constituency, PTI and PPP’s candidates are in tough competition. In PP-264 PTI’s Maryam Batool, PML-N’s Tariq Chohan, PPP’s Makhdoom Usman and an independent candidate Makhdoom Muhammad Hashmi are contesting elections. In this constituency real competition is between PPP and an independent candidate.



In PP-265, PTI’s Allah Yar Walana, PML-N’s Safdar Lagari, and PPP’s Raees Nabeel are contesting elections, PTI and PPP’s candidates are running cut-throttle campaign to gain distance on each other. In PP-266 PTI’s Raees Akmal, PML N’s Shaukat Dawood, and People Party’s Mumtaz Chaang are contesting in which PTI and PPP’s candidates have the real competition.

In PP-267 PML N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq, PPP’s Rana Tariq Mehmood and PTI’s Sajjad Waraich are contesting and in this constituency, PPP’s candidate has weak position due to which tough competition is expected between PML-N and PTI candidates.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2018.