LAHORE - Lahore’s National Assembly constituency NA-129 is witnessing a flurry of political activity as several candidates from different parties are vying for a seat in the National Assembly. Among the contenders is veteran politician and former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, father of former federal minister Hammad Azhar, who has stepped up to represent Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) following the self-imposed disappearance of his son. During the election campaign Mian Muhammad Azhar was detained by the law enforcement agencies. However he was later released from the custody.
Mian Azhar, backed by PTI, will face stiff competition from Muhammad Nouman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Aurangzeb Shafi Burki of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Bilal Liaqat of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). NA-129 comprises various areas of Lahore’s city tehsil, including Awan Town, Sodiwal, Sikandria Colony, Band Rd, Dholanwal, Multan Rd, Samnabad, Kacha Ferozepur Road and Bastami Road. The constituency bags a significant electorate, with a total of 528,414 registered voters, consisting of 276,659 male voters and 251,755 female voters. In the 2018 elections, designated as NA-126 at the time, a total of 213,480 votes were polled. Hammad Azhar of PTI emerged victorious, securing 105,824 votes, defeating PML-N’s Mehar Ishtiaq Anwar. The electoral landscape of NA-129 extends to two allied provincial assembly constituencies including PP-171 and PP-172. In PP-171, Mehar Ishtiaq Ahmad of PML-N faces competition from Imran Dawood of PPP, Aslam Iqbal of PTI, and Ijaz Bashir Chaudhry of TLP.