Despite securing a majority of the ballots cast in the General Elections 2024, the elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-122 Lahore-VI holds a mandate from only 21 percent of the constituency”s total registered voters, according to a new analysis.
According to a report by Free and Fair Election Network today, the successful candidate garnered 117,124 votes, which constituted 51 percent of the 231,334 valid votes polled. However, this victory was achieved within a total electorate of 570,537 registered individuals, as detailed in the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) for the constituency.
The official data confirmed a voter turnout of 41 percent. While NA-122 was one of 70 constituencies where the winner managed to secure over half of the polled votes, a significant portion of the electorate, 110,257 voters or 48 percent, did not vote for the winning candidate.
The runner-up candidate obtained 34 percent of the ballots cast, while the third-placed contender received seven percent. The remaining candidates collectively accounted for another seven percent of the vote share. Additionally, 3,953 ballots, or two percent of the total, were declared invalid.
This case study is part of a broader constituency-wise analysis by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on the unrepresentativeness of Pakistan’s electoral outcomes.
The FAFEN series highlights how the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system can skew representation, particularly in Pakistan”s common multi-candidate contests. The network”s report suggests that in such electoral battles, a majority of voters may feel unrepresented, raising questions about legitimacy and potentially contributing to political instability.