Tough but triangular fight is going on in NA-151 Multan-IV

MULTAN: A tough but triangular fight is going on in NA-151 Multan-IV among Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz while Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) candidate is contesting as independent, political workers and civil society activists said. The constituency has remained a strong wrestling ring of old rivals Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Javed Hashmi but now Hashmi, who had left the PTI after developing differences with Imran Khan, is backing Qureshi’s daughter Mehrbano Qureshi since the arrest of Qureshi. The situation dramatically changed after Hashmi’s support for the PTI candidate.

The PPP took the advantage in the constituency in a one-to-one fight and the party faced a tough time in a triangular fight. The PPP candidate Syed Ali Musa Gillani had won twice in the constituency in one-to-one fights in the past elections.

Javed Hashmi has paid the cost for supporting a PTI backed candidate and police arrested his grandsons and registered cases against Hashmi’s 32 workers.

Ex-PMLN Rana Mehmoodul Hassan recently joined the PPP and contesting in NA-150 Multan-III on PPP ticket also has deep influence in NA-151 Multan-IV. The Ranas, Rajputs clans have clusters of votes and Rana Mehmoodul Hassan is also helping PPP candidate Syed Ali Musa Gillani. The external support of Javed Hashmi and Rana Mehmoodul Hassan is likely to affect election results.

The Gujjar clan has also a very strong presence in the constituency with a soft corner for PMLN.

The numbers of registered electoral rolls in the constituency as per the delimitations 2023 include 476019 including 253227 and female 222792 male voters.

In the 2018 elections the constituency was labeled under NA-157 Multan-I when the total numbers of registered electoral rolls were 390725 including male 214620 and female 176105 voters.

Following Circles of Charge No.08 of Metropolitan Corporation Multan:

(i) Circle No.10; (ii) Circle No.11; and (iii) Circle No.13; (a) Following Circles of Charge No.17 of Metropolitan Corporation Multan: (i) Circle No.01; (ii) Circle No.02; (iii) Circle No.07; and (iv) Circle No.08; (b) Charge No.18 excluding following Circles of Metropolitan Corporation Multan: (i) Circle No.01; (ii) Circle No.02; and (iii) Circle No.05; (c) Town Committee Makhdoom Rasheed; (d) Following Qanungo Halqas of Multan Saddar Tehsil: (i) Jalil; (ii) Arain; (iii) Makhdoom Rasheed-I; (iv) Makhdoom Rasheed-II; (v) Tate Pur Qanungo Halqa excluding Bangle Wala Gharbi Patwar Circle; Following Patwar Circles of Qadir Pur Ran Qanungo Halqa: Karpal Pur; and (2) Sujan Pur; Multan City Qanungo Halqa of Multan City Tehsil; Bahawalpur Sukha Patwar Circle of Muzaffarabad Qanungo Halqa.

A triangular fight is going on in the constituency where the total number of eleven candidates are contesting from NA-151 Multan-IV including seven candidates from political parties and rest independents. The candidates include Syed Ali Musa Gilani of PPP, Abdul Ghaffar of PMLN, Mehrbano of PTI, Babar Ali of TLP, Khalid Ahmed of Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, Saeed Ahmed Khalid of Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, Muhammad Bilal of JI.

The independents include Rao Muhammad Mustqeem, Arif Mansoor Hayat, Muhammad Ramzan, Naseer Ahmed and Rana Mehmoodul Hassan. A by-election was held in the constituency on October 16, 2022 due to the resignation of Zain Qureshi, the previous MNA from this seat. Syed Ali Musa Gillani on PPP ticket won the election in a neck to neck fight with Mehrbano Qureshi of PTI. Syed Ali Musa Gillani bagged 107327 votes while Mehrbano Qureshi received 82141 votes. The PMLN supported Ali Musa Gillani.

Triangular fight held in 2018 elections among Zain Hussain Qureshi of PTI received 77373 and won the slot and he defeated Syed Ali Musa Gillani of PPP with 6595 votes. Syed Ali Musa Gillani received 70778 votes. Malik Abdul Ghaffar Dogar of PMLN received 62082 votes, Muhammad Ramzan of TLP 5890 votes.