Election activities in the provincial metropolis and the Punjab province have started picking up momentum after the Election Commission released final lists of eligible candidates.
Election Commission sources told Business Recorder that there were 1,003 candidates in the run for the 148 National Assembly seats from Punjab while 2,311 candidates were vying for 297 Punjab Assembly seats.
There were 81 women candidates in the run for the 35 National Assembly seats reserved for women with 156 more vying for the 66 reserved seats for the Punjab Assembly. For eight reserved seats of minorities in the Punjab assembly, 128 candidates are contesting.
For the 13 National Assembly seats from Lahore, 114 candidates were running while for the 25 Punjab Assembly seats, 372 were vying. The sources said the Pakistan People's Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had fielded their candidates on all National and Provincial Assemblies seats from Lahore.
Top leaders of different parties, including the PML-N, PPP and PML-Q, have intensified their election activities while candidates of different political parties and independents have displayed banners and posters in their respective constituencies apart from setting up election offices. On Monday, Nawaz Sharif addressed a public meeting in Multan while Benazir Bhutto addressed hers in Hyderabad. Shahbaz Sharif also addressed a meeting in Jaranwala. Former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also remained busy in drumming up support for his party candidates.
There were 12 candidates running for the NA-118. However, the real contest was expected among Mian Muhammad Azhar of the PML-Q, Syed Asif Hashmi of the PPP and Malik Mohammad Riaz of the PML-N. In the NA-119, four candidates, including Hamza Shahbaz Sharif of the PML-N, Tariq Banday of the PML-Q and Zikriya Butt of the PPP, were the leading contestants.
In the NA-120, eight candidates were running, including Jehangir Badr of the PPP, Bilal Yasin of the PML-N and Khawaja Tahir Zia of the PML-Q. In the NA-121, eight candidates were in the field. The real contest will be between Mian Marghoob Ahmad of the PML-N, Mian Asif of the PML-Q and Aurangzeb Burki of the PPP.
In the NA-122, there were 10 candidates in the run. However, a strong contest was expected between Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of the PML-N, Mian Jehangir of the PML-Q and Mian Umer Misbah ur Rehman of the PPP. In the NA-123, 11 candidates were contesting. The contest was expected between Makhdoom Javed Hashmi of the PML-N and Haji Aziz ur Rehman Chann of the PPP. In the NA-124, six candidates, including Humayun Akhtar Khan of the PML-Q, Ayaz Imran of the PPP and Sheikh Rohail Asgher of the PML-N were the main contestants.
Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan had filed nomination papers from this constituency but withdrew his papers to express solidarity with lawyers.
In the NA-125, 11 candidates were in the run. However, real contest was expected among Naveed Chaudhry of the PPP, Khawaja Saad Rafique of the PML-N and Humayun Akhtar Khan of the PML-Q. In the NA-126, 10 candidates were running with Umer Sohail Butt of the PML-N, Sheikh Idrees of the PML-Q and Dr Hasnat Shah of the PPP leading the contest.
In the NA-127, 11 candidates were in the run. However, the main contest was expected among Muhammad Naseer Bhutta of the PML-N, Abdul Aleem Khan of the PML-Q and Dr Mohammad Riaz of the PPP.
In the NA-128, eight candidates, including Afzal Khokhar of the PML-N, Sardar Aqil Umar of the PPP and Malik Karamat Khokhar of the PML-Q were vying. In the NA-129, eight candidates, including Sardar Adil Umar of the PML-N, Habib Ullah Warriach of the PML-Q and Tariq Bashir of the PPP were running. And in the NA-129, seven candidates, including Saadia Bashir of the PML-N, Samina Khalid Ghurki of the PPP and Ashiq Dial of the PML-Q were running.