Hamza Shehbaz conspicuous with lowest victory margin.
LAHORE - The 20124 elections threw some interesting results from Lahore with the TLP emerging as the third political force in terms of number of votes pushing the PPP at the fourth position. While the TLP failed to secure any seats in the provincial capital, its candidates significantly narrowed the victory margins of PML-N candidates.
In the last two elections, the TLP has captured the vote bank of the PML-N as the religious vote went to the PML-N in the previous polls. TLP’s Abid Hussain obtained 36, 269 votes from NA-118, the constituency won by Hamza Shahbaz by a thin margin of only 5157 votes. Apart from NA-130 where Nawaz Sharif emerged victorious, TLP candidates secured over 10,000 votes, with some surpassing 38,000 votes. Also, the PTI-backed candidates demonstrated unexpected prowess, despite their relatively low profiles before the elections. They caused three upsets in Lahore by defeating prominent PML-N figures like Sh. Rohail Asghar, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Hafiz Mohammad Nouman, all previous election winners.
While Sardar Latif Khosa was anticipated to put up a tough challenge to Saad Rafique the victories of Wasim Qadir and Mian Azhar were unforeseen against PML-N candidates. Out of the 12 seats contested by PML-N candidates, the party clinched nine, while the IPP secured two through seat adjustments. Notably, Mian Nawaz Sharif secured the largest victory margin of 55,983 votes against PTI-backed Dr. Yasmin Rashid, whereas Hamza Shahbaz won with the narrowest margin of 5,157 votes, followed by Saiful Malook Khokhar with 6,638 votes against Tauqeer Abbas Khokhar, an independent candidate backed by the PTI.
Interestingly, Awn Chaudhry of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party emerged as the top scorer from Lahore with 172,576 votes, closely followed by Mian Nawaz Sharif with 171,026 votes. Among TLP candidates, Saifur Rehman secured the highest votes with 38,168 in NA-117, a constituency won by Aleem Khan of the IPP. From the PPP side, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari got 15,005 votes but surprisingly finished below the runner-up, the PTI-backed Zaheer Abbas Khokhar.