LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari could get merely 6 percent of the total votes cast in NA-127 (Lahore-XI) during the general elections of 2024.

According to Form 47, displayed on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) dashboard, Bilawal Bhutto secured 15,005 votes out of a total of 217,114 votes cast on February 8.

His opponent Ata Ullah Tarar from the PML-N had won the elections by getting 45.23 percent while the PTI-backed independent candidate Malik Zaheer Abbas got 37.87 percent votes of the total votes by bagging 98,210 votes and 82,230 votes respectively.

Outcome remains uncertain: Bilawal

A total of 337 polling stations were set up throughout the constituency and the number of total eligible voters stood at 527,044 including 273,014 men and 254,030 women voters.

As many 47% of men and 35% of women cast their votes in NA-127; 129,817 men and 89,806 women voters turned up to cast their votes. A total of 217,114 votes, 41.67 percent, were cast while 2509 votes were declared as rejected.

Besides the three major political parties, a total of 25 other candidates also tried their luck out of which the candidate of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) secured 12,912 votes, 5.94 percent, followed by the candidate of Jamat-e-Islami, bagging 5,291 votes, 2.43% while the rest of the 20 independent candidates got 3,466 votes, 1.59% in total.

So far as the provincial assembly seat is concerned, the PPP-backed candidate Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman could get only 3,962 votes in PP-160 (Lahore-XVI), which was not more than 5.92%. Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman secured 3,962 votes against 26,781 votes, 40.04 percent by the PMLN-backed Malik Asad Ali and 21,249 votes, 31.77 percent, by the PTI-backed independent candidate Azam Khan Niazi. A total of 66,872 votes were cast out of a total of 166,507 at 107 polling stations in the provincial constituency.

It may be noted that a survey conducted by the Business Recorder in the constituency ahead of general elections had suggested a two-way fight is expected between the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in NA-127, where Chairman Pakistan Peoples’ Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has entered to try his luck in Lahore - once known for extending unwavering support to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024