The newly elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-121 Lahore-V holds a mandate from only 17 per cent of the constituency”s registered voters, an analysis of the General Elections 2024 results has revealed. Despite winning the seat, the MNA failed to secure the backing of the majority, as 56 per cent of participating voters cast their ballots for other candidates.
According to a report today, the victor secured 78,707 votes, which accounts for 42 per cent of the 187,173 ballots cast on February 8, 2024. However, this figure represents a minor fraction of the 467,012 registered electors in the constituency.
The election saw a voter turnout of 40 per cent. The data indicates that a significant portion of the electorate, 105,377 individuals, opted for alternative candidates, signifying they did not want the winner to represent them. The runner-up garnered 38 per cent of the votes, while the third-place contender received 13 per cent.
The remaining candidates collectively obtained five per cent of the vote share. Additionally, 3,089 ballots, constituting two per cent of the total, were declared invalid and were not attributed to any contestant.
This finding is part of a constituency-wise analysis by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) which examines the unrepresentativeness of Pakistan’s electoral outcomes. The series highlights how the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system can skew representation in multi-candidate electoral contests, where a majority of voters may feel unrepresented, raising questions about legitimacy and potentially contributing to political instability.