Based on reporting of 20 per cent National Assembly seats at the current hour, PTI is projected to win with 105 constituencies, while PML-N trails behind with 71 and PPP is at third spot with 39 seats. In Punjab, with results from 19% polling stations available with ECP, PML-N is currently leading the race with 137 provincial seats but PTI is closing in with 115 seats.

While the preliminary results at the time of writing have PTI supports celebrating early, the night is still young.

To gain a majority, a party needs 137 of the 272 elected National Assembly seats. A further 70 seats for women and minorities are awarded proportionally based on the voting percentages. At this moment poised to win, PTI will ultimately need to bag at least 137 of the directly elected seats to be able to form the government on its own. With PML-N and PPP following extremely close behind, there is a high probability that the currently forerunning PTI would be unable to secure a simple majority, resulting in a hung parliament. This circumstance leaves room for the formation of a coalition government of winning candidates from various political parties.

Analyst maintain that the country needs a powerful government while a hung parliament is always weak. With the PTI Chairman previously stating that if a coalition is needed, PTI would neither join hands with PML-N nor with PPP, the country can anticipate some gridlocks and surprises in the process.

The 2018 come in the wake of a crippling economy, with the rupee’s 20 per cent decline spiking inflation, and dwindling foreign currency reserves. Where the need of the hour is a strong government at the center a hung parliament entails deadlocks and friction in parliamentary processes.

If the PTI wins enough seats to ensure that taking independent candidates and a few of the smaller parties on board, it would suffice in forming the ruling government. It remains to be seen which party will be the kingmaker and form the alliance that eventually leads the government. Ultimately, with the new extreme ideologies in the mix along with a juxtaposition of tenuous relationships of political parties and the judicio-military nexus, its remains to be seen exactly how hung the parliament will be and how that would translate into forming the future government body. Ultimately, it can only be hoped that the forged parliament commits to uphold the tenets of democracy.