Only 66 candidates have managed to bag 100,000 votes or more in nine electoral stints since 1970

LAHORE: During the nine electoral stints that Pakistan has seen since December 7, 1970, only 66 candidates have succeeded in mustering the support of 1,00,000 voters or more from a single constituency and Sufyan Yousaf of MQM stands tallest among all in this club by having secured 1,86,933 votes from NA-246 Karachi VIII during the 2008 ballot exercise.
While Noor-ul-Islam, hailing from Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman’s Pakistan Awami League, had got 1, 79,250 ballots in his favour from Dhaka VI during the 1970 elections, Ali Nawaz Mehar of PML-Q remains on the third slot. He had grabbed 1, 76,188 votes from NA-201 Ghotki II during the January 15, 2003 by-election.
Sheikh Salahuddin of MQM stands fourth in this all-time list by having bagged 174,044 votes from NA-244 Karachi VI during the 2008 elections.
By the way, Noor-ul-Islam of Pakistan Awami League had obtained 1, 00,000 plus votes or more from three East Pakistan constituencies on the same day. The tally of his votes had thus stood at 4, 05,306 — a unique record of its kind, which is seemingly very hard to be broken.
People have won a multiple number of seats in Pakistan’s electoral history, but not with this fabulous distinction.The Pakistan Awami League Chief Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman had got 2, 87,316 votes altogether from two Dhaka constituencies.
Hectic research reveals that the 1970 elections had witnessed some 26 candidates winning the nod of 1, 00,000 voters or more from East Pakistan and just three politicians had achieved this distinction in West Pakistan — taking the overall tally to 29.
All these 26 candidates were contesting the polls on Awami League’s tickets from East Pakistan, nearly 43 years ago.Here follow the names of these victorious Awami League candidates with the number of secured votes and constituency details in brackets:
Professor Yousaf Ali (1,01,568 votes from Dinajpur 4), Motahar Hussain Talukdar (1,00, 392 votes from Pabna 1), Ataur Rehman Talukdar (1,04, 641 votes from Rajshahi 1), Nazmul Haq Sarkar (1,18, 572 votes from Rajshahi 8), Barrister Amirul Islam ( 1,14, 286 votes from Kushtia 1), Azizur Rehman Akkas (1,01,708 votes from Kushtia 2), Sohrab Hossain (1,16,305 votes from Jessore 6), Abdul Hafeez (1,29,095 votes from Jessore 7), M. Mohsin (1,06,086 votes from Khulna 5), Abdur Rab Serneabat (1,01,130 votes from Bakerganj 1), Syed Qamar Islam (1,06,666 votes from Faridpur 2), Molla Jalaluddin Ahmed (1,12,287 votes from Faridpur 6), Tajuddin Ahmed (1,00,985 votes from Faridpur 7), Noorul Islam (1,22,477 votes from Dhaka 1), Moslehuddin Khan (1,28,187 votes from Dhaka 2), Noorul Islam (1,03,579 votes from Dhaka 3), Shamsul Haq (1,04,053 votes from Dhaka 4), Noorul Islam (1,79,250 votes from Dhaka 6), Zashirud Din (1,18,291 votes from Dhaka 7), Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman (1,64,783 votes from Dhaka 8 and 1,22,533 votes from Dhaka 9), Razzak Bhuiyan (1,36,736 votes from Dhaka 12), Shams-ud-Doha (1,20,318 votes from Dhaka 14). Khairud Din Chaudhry (1,43,336 votes from Dhaka 15), Karim Bepari (1,41,924 votes from Dhaka 16), Dewan Abdul Abbas (1,34,234 votes from Comilla 3), Haji Abdul Hashim (1,10,152 votes from Comilla 9), Hafiz Habibur Rehman (1,23,082 votes from Comilla 12) and MA Aziz (1,01,530 votes from Chittagong 2).
In West Pakistan, just three politicians had grabbed 1, 00,000 votes or more during the 1970 polls and the bye-elections that had followed in subsequent years.
Here follow these names and some vital details:
Sardar Khair Bakhsh Mari of National Awami Party had got 1, 06, 913 votes during the 1970 polling exercise from Quetta II (NW 136).
He had trampled all over Taj Muhammad Jamali of Pakistan Muslim League (Council). Jamali could bag 34,672 votes only.
Looking at Quetta’s demographics 43 years ago, this was undoubtedly an incredible feat accomplished by Sardar Khair Bakhsh Mari.
Apart from Sardar Khair Bakhsh Mari, nobody has ever got 1, 00,000 votes or plus from the whole of Balochistan ever in country’s electoral history.
During the August 31, 1975 bye-election from Lyallpur 5 (Faisalabad now), Mubaraz Khan of Pakistan People’s Party had managed to get 1, 03, 972 votes.
This seat had fallen vacant due to the death of another PPP stalwart, Ch. Aslam, who had won the 1970 election from this particular constituency after getting 59,392 votes.
Similarly, during the February 10, 1974 bye-election from Sheikhupura III, PPP’s Nisar Ahmed had got 1, 17, 521 votes.
This seat had fallen vacant due to the death of PPP’s Ch. Iqbal, who had won the 1970 election from this particular constituency after getting 70,856 votes.
The PPP Chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had contested from six constituencies in 1970 and he had won from five of them.
Bhutto had got 64,856 votes from Hyderabad, 67,368 votes from Thatta, 71,554 votes from Larkana I, 78,132 votes from Lahore III, 56,360 votes from Multan III and 33, and 267 votes from Dera Ismail Khan.
Remember, Bhutto was defeated by Maulana Mufti Mehmood of Jamia-e-Ulema Islam (West Pakistan) from Dera Ismail Khan (NW 13).
Mufti Mehmood had got 45, 978 votes and Bhutto had to go home with just 33, 267 votes under his belt.
Overall, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had obtained 3, 71,537 votes from the six constituencies where he was a candidate, or an average tally of 61,923 votes per constituency.
Just to recall, Makhdoom Amin Fahim had contested a January 17, 1971 bye-election from Thatta, one of the seats vacated by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Young Amin Fahim had got 60,254 votes on his formal political debut.
During the March 7, 1977 ballot exercise, some six politicians had grabbed 1, 00,000 votes or more.
Here follow the names:
Chaudhry Anwar Aziz of PPP had got 1,01,090 votes from NA-110 Sialkot, Agha Ghulam Nabi of PPP had got 1,13,898 votes from NA-152 Sukkur II, Sardar Ghulam Mohammad Khan of PPP had got 1,27, 981 votes from NA-153 Sukkur III, Haji Khair Khan of PPP had got 1,00,832 votes from NA-156 Jacobabad II, Qaim Ali Shah of PPP had got 1,04,997 votes from NA-161 Khairpur I and Pir Abdul Qadir Shah of PPP had got 1,20,523 votes from NA-162 Khairpur II.
Not a single candidate had succeeded in bagging 1, 00,000 votes or more during the party-less elections of February 25, 1985.
The November 16, 1988 polling exercise saw just one candidate—-Syed Mohammad Aslam (independent and later a Haq Parast or MQM candidate) getting 1, 31,012 votes from NA-188 Karachi Central III.
The 1990 ballot exercise had seen just two candidates, Imran Farooq of Haq Parast Group getting 1,11,340 votes from NA-187 Karachi Central II and his party colleague Syed Mohammad Aslam bagging 1,42,591 votes from NA-188 Karachi Central III.
Not a single candidate had succeeded in bagging 1, 00,000 votes or more during the October 6, 1993 elections.
The February 3, 1997 elections had witnessed just one candidate winning the nod of 1, 00,000 voters or more.
And this candidate was none other than Hassan Mussana Alvi of Haq Parast Group (MQM), who had managed to secure 1, 05,323 votes from Karachi Central III.
The October 10, 2002 elections had witnessed some seven candidates winning the nod of a hundred thousand voters or more.
Malik Faiz Tamman had bagged 1, 01,664 votes from NA-61 Chakwal II as an independent candidate.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain of PML-Q had got1, 03, 508 votes from NA-74 Bhakkar II. Since Shujaat had also emerged victorious from NA-105 Gujrat II, therefore, he had opted to vacate this particular seat.
During the January 15, 2003 bye-elections in this constituency, Rasheed Akbar Nawani of PML-Q had also bagged 1, 21, 190 votes.
Akhtar Khan Kanjoo of PML-Q had won the support of 1, 03,209 voters from NA-155 Lodhran.
During the January 15, 2003 by-election on NA-201 Ghotki 2, Ali Nawaz Mehar of PML-Q found himself perched on the victory stand. He had got 1, 76,188 votes.
Earlier, during the October 2002 polling stint, an independent candidate Ali Khan had won this particular seat by obtaining 77,950 votes. He later joined the PML-Q. But since he had also won a Sindh Assembly seat (PS 6 from Ghotki), he had opted to sit in the provincial assembly and vacate his National Assembly seat.
During the January 15, 2003 by-election on NA-216, Syed Javed Ali Shah of PML-Functional had managed to get 1, 28, 785 votes.
During the October 2002 polling stint, Pir Saddarud Din Shah Rashdi of PML-Functional had won this particular seat by obtaining 63,250 votes. But since he had also won a Sindh Assembly seat (PS 30 from Khairpur), he had opted to sit in the provincial assembly and give up his National Assembly membership.
Lastly, Makhdoom Amin Fahim of PPP had got 1, 02,059 votes from NA-218 Hyderabad during the 2002 polls.
The 2008 polls, which saw Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of PML-N falling short of the 1, 00,000 mark by just 12 votes, had overall witnessed some 20 candidates crossing the hundred thousand vote mark.
Here follows the list of these distinguished candidates:
Ayaz Amir of PML-N had got 1, 25, 437 votes from NA-60 Chakwal 1.
Sardar Mumtaz Khan of PML-N had got 1, 04, 739 votes in the October 20, 2010 bye-election from NA-61 Chakwal II.
This seat had fallen vacant after resignation of PML-N’s Faiz Tamman, the original winner of the 2008 polls from this constituency. Faiz Tamman had got 92,201 votes.
The June 26, 2008 bye-election in NA-131 Sheikhupura saw Rana Afzaal Hussain of PML-N emerging victorious by grabbing 1,19,180 votes.
This seat had fallen vacant after Rana Tanveer Hussain of PML-N (also the winner from NA-132 Sheikhupura-cum-Nankana Sahib) had decided not to retain it.
Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) had got 1, 11, 578 votes from NA-209 Jacobabad-cum-Kashmore during the 2008 polls.
Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi of National People’s Party had got 1, 09, 319 votes from NA-211 Naushero Feroz I.
Azra Fazal Pecheho of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians had got 1, 08, 404 votes from NA-213 Nawabshah I.
Syed Tayyab Hussain of MQM had got 1, 68, 136 votes from NA-219 Hyderabad I.
Salahuddin of MQM had got 1, 47, 040 votes from NA-220 Hyderabad II.
Syed Ameer Shah Jamot of PPP had bagged 1, 02,737 votes from NA-221 Hyderabad-cum-Matiari.
Arbab Zakaullah of PML had obtained 1, 35, 697 votes from NA-229 Tharparkar I.
Dr Ghulam Haider Samejo of PML had got 1, 09, 580 votes from NA-230 Tharparkar II.
Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur of PPPP had bagged 1, 38, 320 votes from NA-231 Jamshoro.
Dr Abdul Qadir Khanzada of MQM had got 1, 47, 892 votes from NA-242 Karachi IV.
Abdul Waseem of MQM had got 1, 67,764 votes from NA-243 Karachi V.
Sheikh Salahuddin of MQM had secured 1,74, 044 votes from NA-244 Karachi VI.
Farhat Khan of MQM had got 1, 49, 157 votes from NA-245 Karachi VII.
Sufyan Yousaf of MQM had got 1, 86, 933 votes from NA_246 Karachi VIII.
Dr Nadeem Ehsan of MQM had got 1, 68, 007 votes from NA-247 Karachi IX.
Dr Farooq Sattar of MQM had bagged 1, 03, 846 votes from NA-249 Karachi XI and Dr Ayub Sheikh of MQM had got 1, 32,648 votes from NA-254 Karachi XVI.