BAHAWALPUR, Jan 16: The PPP (Parliamentarians) suffered a major upset on Wednesday when its nominee Taj Muhammad Langah lost the NA-187 (Bahawalpur five) seat vacated by Aitzaz Ahsan.

The seat went to independent candidate Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi who enjoyed a complete support of district Nazim Tariq Cheema and the ruling party PML-Q.

Gardezi secured 63,096 votes while his opponent candidate Taj Muhammad Langah of the PPP could manage only 2,312 votes. Mr Langah’s security will be forfeited. Even the MMA candidate, Maulana Shehbaz Ahmed Bajwa, secured 4,446 votes which were almost double in number of Mr Langah’s votes.

The real contest was mainly between two independent candidates — Tasneem Gardezi and Saood Majid Chaudhry, who obtained 42,896 votes.

Dawn learnt that 114,427 votes were polled which means a turnout of 43.24 per cent. In the October elections, PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan had secured over 74,000 votes out of 132,000 total votes polled.

With the success of Tasneem Gardezi, the political grip of district Nazim Tariq Cheema over the district affairs has strengthened further. His opponents — MNAs Mian Riaz Hussain Peerzada, Farooq Azam Malik and Makhdoom Muhammad Ali Gilani from Khairpur Tamewali, Bahawalpur and Ahmedpur East, respectively, will now evolve a joint strategy against him.

On the other hand, MNA-elect Gardezi will help Tariq Cheema to tighten the noose around the neck of opposition members.

Tariq Cheema intends to go to Dubai to meet PPP chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto and will explain her the whole situation under which circumstances he had to support an independent candidate.