LAHORE: Pakistan’s second most populous city and the capital of Punjab has a total of 14 National Assembly and 30 provincial seats up for grabs come July 25.
The major contenders, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), are hopeful for a big win, which is why PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PTI chairman Imran Khan are contesting from the city.
The other challengers are a mix of old and new faces but none are novices in the political arena.
Lahore has a total of 5,398,623 registered voters.
The largest constituency in the city, population and area wise, is NA-124 which has been carved out of the old city area. Its total headcount is 533,497 voters.
Similarly, the smallest constituency is NA-135, with only 256,481 estimated voters.
Prominent candidates:
NA-123: Malik Riaz (PML-N) vs Mehar Wajid Azeem (PTI)
[Previously NA-118, won by Malik in 2013]
NA-124: Hamza Shehbaz (PML-N) vs Muhammad Nouman Qaiser (PTI)
[Previously NA-119, won by Hamza in 2013]
NA-125: Waheed Alam Khan (PML-N) vs Dr Yasmin Rashid (PTI)
[Previously NA-120, won by PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif in 2013 and Kulsoom Nawaz in 2017 by-election]
NA-126: Mehar Ishtiaq Ahmad (PML-N) vs Hammad Azhar (PTI)
[Previously NA-121, won by Ahmad in 2013]
NA-127: Ali Pervaiz Malik (PML-N) vs Jamshed Iqbal (PTI)
[Previously NA-123, won by PML-N’s Pervaiz Malik in 2013]
NA-128: Sheikh Rohail Asghar (PML-N) vs Aijaz Ahmed (PTI)
[Previously NA-124, won by PML-N’s Sheikh Rohail Asghar in 2013]
NA-129: Sardar Ayaz Sadiq (PML-N) vs Abdul Aleem Khan (PTI)
[Previously NA-125, won by PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique in 2013]
NA-130: Shafqat Mahmood (PTI) vs Khawaja Ahmed Hassan (PML-N)
[Previously NA-126, won by Mahmood in 2013]
NA-131: Khawaja Saad Rafique (PML-N) vs Imran Khan (PTI)
[new constituency]
NA-132: Shehbaz Sharif (PML-N) vs Ch Muhammad Mansha Sandhu (PTI)
[Previously NA-130/129, won by PML-N’s Sohail Shaukat Butt in 2013]
NA-133: Pervaiz Malik (PML-N) vs Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry (PTI)
[Previously NA-127, won by Waheed Khan in 2013]
NA-134: Rana Mubashir Iqbal (PML-N) vs Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar (PTI)
[Previously NA-129. Won by PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif in 2013]
NA-135: Saif-al-Mulk Khokhar (PML-N) vs Karamat Ali Khokhar (PTI)
[Previously NA-128, won by PML-N’s Afzal Khokhar in 2013]
NA-136: Afzal Khokhar (PML-N) vs Malik Asad Ali Khokhar (PTI)
[Previously also NA-128, won by PML-N’s Afzal Khokhar in 2013]
In 2013, the PML-N, under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, won 12 NA seats from the city out of a total of 13. PTI’s Shafqat Mahmood had managed to secure only one NA seat.
Will Lahore buck the trend or vote on similar lines this time as well?
