PML-N top leaders can’t vote for ‘lion’ during Feb 8 polls.
In a curious twist of fate, prominent leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) find themselves unable to cast their votes for their own party’s candidate in the forthcoming general elections, despite fervently urging voters to support the party’s ‘lion’ symbol as a remedy for pressing issues like soaring inflation.
According to reports from The News, senior officials from the PML-N disclosed that the voting eligibility of key figures such as Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Hamza Shehbaz is tied to NA-128, a constituency where the PML-N has formed a seat adjustment pact with the Istehkam-e-Pakistan (IPP) party.
In NA-128, the PML-N has refrained from nominating a candidate for the National Assembly seat, opting instead to throw its weight behind Aun Chaudhry, the leader of IPP, whose electoral emblem is the “eagle”.
However, despite this alliance, the trio of PML-N leaders will exercise their voting rights for the PML-N candidate, Umar Sohail, in the PP-161 constituency.
According to a comprehensive list shared by senior PML-N figure Ishaq Dar, the party’s candidates are slated to contest on 212 National Assembly constituencies nationwide on February 8, while strategically leaving 51 seats open for potential rivals or allies.
Among the notable candidacies, Nawaz Sharif is set to vie for seats in NA-15 (Mansehra) and NA-130 (Lahore), while Maryam Nawaz, Chief Organiser of the PML-N, will enter the fray from NA-119, and Hamza Shehbaz from NA-118 Lahore. Meanwhile, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif will stake his claim in the electoral arena from NA-123 and NA-132.
Significantly, the PML-N has opted not to field its candidates in several key constituencies, including NA-4 (Swat-III), NA-19 (Swabi-I), NA-20 (Swabi-II), NA-21 (Mardan-I), NA-22 (Mardan-III), NA-44 (Dera Ismail Khan-I), NA-45 (Dera Ismail Khan-II), NA-48 (Islamabad-III), NA-54 (Islamabad-III), NA-64 (Gujrat-III), NA-88 (Khushab-II), NA-92 (Bhakkar-II), NA-117 (Lahore-I), NA-128 (Lahore-XII), NA-143 (Sahiwal-III), and NA-149 (Multan-II), among others.
Furthermore, the party’s candidates are conspicuously absent from the electoral contests in NA-165, NA-185, NA-190 through NA-204, NA-206 through NA-210, NA-212, NA-214, NA-215, NA-217, NA-218, NA-221, NA-223, NA-224, NA-228, NA-239, NA-245, NA-264, and NA-266.
As PML-N top leaders can’t vote for ‘lion’ during Feb 8 polls, the erstwhile ruling party has forged a seat adjustment agreement with Jahangir Tareen’s IPP, underscoring the intricate dynamics at play in Pakistan’s political landscape.
