PML-N again left red faced in Punjab

PTI manages to win three NA sets and one provincial assembly seat from Punjab

LAHORE:

Sunday’s by-elections on six seats in Punjab – three national and as many provincial – once again left the ruling PML-N red faced as its arch rival – the PTI – managed to win four of the six seats, despite being up against an alliance of almost all leading political parties of the country.

Overall, it was a sorry saga for the central coalition government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, an alliance of a dozen parties which includes the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, ANP, MQM and others, that again got pummelled by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the by-elections. The former ruling party managed to bag six out of eight National Assembly seats and two out of three Punjab Assembly seats.

It lost two NA seats to the PPP, one from Sindh and the other from Punjab as well as one provincial assembly seat to the PML-N.

Of the eight NA seats, seven were contested by PTI chief Imran Khan himself to exhibit his rising popularity and of those, he managed to win six yet again proving he continues to remain the most popular leader of the country for now.

Among all the PDM parties, the PPP, however, turned out be the winner, bagging the seats it contested on, with one from Punjab. It is said to be its major victory as it would provide a much-needed morale boost to the PPP Punjab chapter.

On NA-157 Multan seat, Ali Musa Gillani, son of ex-premier Yousaf Raza Gillani, defeated former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter Meharbano Qureshi by almost 20,000 votes. Though in reality, the PPP had an edge over the PTI, as unlike other NA seats that were carefully brought up for grabs, this was not contested by Imran.

The remaining two NA seats of Punjab were won by Imran, as he defeated PML-N’s former federal minister Abid Sher Ali in NA-108 Faisalabad by over 20,000 votes and Shiza Mansab in NA-118 by around 10,000 votes.

The only provincial assembly seat the PML-N won in Punjab was PP-139 where PML-N’s Chaudhry Iftakhar Ahmad Bhango defeated PTI’s Muhammad Abu Bakar. The PTI managed to win PP-209 where its candidate Faisal Khan Niazi defeated Chaudhry Ziaur Rehman.

The only seat that the PTI practically snatched from the PML-N was of PP-241 which, unlike other seats, fell vacant after the latter’s MPA Kashif Dogar got disqualified by the SC for possessing a fake degree.

Other two provincial assembly seats fell vacant after the PML-N’s defecting MPAs resigned from their seats. Former PML-N MPA Faisal Niazi, this time from the PTI’s ticket, again managed to clinch his seat while Jalil Ahmad Sharaqpuri, who resigned from the PP-139 Sheikhupura seat, did not contest the by-elections. Sunday’s by-elections on six seats in Punjab – three national and as many provincial – once again left the ruling PML-N red faced as its arch rival – the PTI – managed to win four of the six seats, despite being up against an alliance of almost all leading political parties of the country.

Read Imran Khan-led PTI bags 6, PPP 2 NA seats in October 16 by-polls

Overall, it was a sorry saga for the central coalition government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, an alliance of a dozen parties which includes the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, ANP, MQM and others, that again got pummelled by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the by-elections. The former ruling party managed to bag six out of eight National Assembly seats and two out of three Punjab Assembly seats.

It lost two NA seats to the PPP, one from Sindh and the other from Punjab as well as one provincial assembly seat to the PML-N.

Of the eight NA seats, seven were contested by PTI chief Imran Khan himself to exhibit his rising popularity and of those, he managed to win six yet again proving he continues to remain the most popular leader of the country for now.

Among all the PDM parties, the PPP, however, turned out be the winner, bagging the seats it contested on, with one from Punjab. It is said to be its major victory as it would provide a much-needed morale boost to the PPP Punjab chapter.

On NA-157 Multan seat, Ali Musa Gillani, son of ex-premier Yousaf Raza Gillani, defeated former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter Meharbano Qureshi by almost 20,000 votes. Though in reality, the PPP had an edge over the PTI, as unlike other NA seats that were carefully brought up for grabs, this was not contested by Imran.

The remaining two NA seats of Punjab were won by Imran, as he defeated PML-N’s former federal minister Abid Sher Ali in NA-108 Faisalabad by over 20,000 votes and Shiza Mansab in NA-118 by around 10,000 votes.

The only provincial assembly seat the PML-N won in Punjab was PP-139 where PML-N’s Chaudhry Iftakhar Ahmad Bhango defeated PTI’s Muhammad Abu Bakar. The PTI managed to win PP-209 where its candidate Faisal Khan Niazi defeated Chaudhry Ziaur Rehman.

The only seat that the PTI practically snatched from the PML-N was of PP-241 which, unlike other seats, fell vacant after the latter’s MPA Kashif Dogar got disqualified by the SC for possessing a fake degree.

Other two provincial assembly seats fell vacant after the PML-N’s defecting MPAs resigned from their seats. Former PML-N MPA Faisal Niazi, this time from the PTI’s ticket, again managed to clinch his seat while Jalil Ahmad Sharaqpuri, who resigned from the PP-139 Sheikhupura seat, did not contest the by-elections.