The newly elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-109 Jhang-II, despite securing a commanding majority of the ballots cast in the 2024 General Elections, represents less than a third of the constituency”s total registered electorate, an analysis by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has revealed.
Free and Fair Election Network’s report today quoted official results from the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) that indicate the winning candidate triumphed with 176,699 votes. This figure constituted 57 per cent of the 308,690 valid votes polled, making NA-109 one of only 70 constituencies where the victor achieved more than half of the votes cast.
However, this victory is set against a backdrop of a total of 593,022 registered voters in the constituency, meaning the MNA”s mandate comes from just 30 per cent of the entire electorate. The voter turnout for the constituency was recorded at 52 per cent.
A significant portion of the electorate, 122,904 people or 40 per cent of those who voted, cast their ballots for other contenders. The runner-up candidate secured 20 per cent of the polled votes, while the third-placed aspirant received 12 per cent. The remaining candidates collectively obtained eight per cent of the ballots.
Furthermore, a total of 9,087 ballots, accounting for three per cent of all votes cast, were declared invalid and therefore did not contribute to any candidate”s total.
This report is part of FAFEN’s broader constituency-wise analysis on the unrepresentativeness of electoral results in Pakistan. The series highlights how the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system can distort representation, particularly in multi-candidate contests common in the country. FAFEN notes that in such races, a majority of voters may feel their choice is not reflected in the outcome, which can raise questions about legitimacy and potentially contribute to political instability.