In GE-2024, the elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-247 Karachi Central-I secured 65,050 votes – 34% of the 190,115 ballots cast, and only 15% of the 436,934 registered voters in the constituency. Under Pakistan’s First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system, a candidate needs only the highest vote share to win a seat – not a majority.
According to a Fafen report today, the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) of the constituency shows the voter turnout stood at 44%. Despite the victory, the winner did not have the support of the majority of voters who exercised their right to vote on 8 February 2024, as 121,903, or 64% voted for other candidates.
The runner-up candidate secured 27% of the ballots cast; the third-placed candidate received 13%, while the remaining candidates collectively secured 24% of votes cast. A total of 3,162, or 2%, were declared invalid.
This story is part of FAFEN’s constituency-wise analysis of electoral representativeness across Pakistan’s 266 National Assembly constituencies. Under Pakistan’s First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system, the candidate with the highest vote total wins the seat regardless of whether they command a majority of votes cast. FAFEN’s data document that this produces elected members who, in many constituencies, do not carry majority support.
Under a proportional representation (PR) system, by contrast, legislative seats are allocated in proportion to the vote shares won by parties or candidates – ensuring that a broader range of voter preferences is reflected in elected bodies. Pakistan’s GE-2024 data show the documented gap between votes cast and representation secured across all 266 National Assembly constituencies.