LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) announced its candidates for national and provincial constituencies in the Punjab capital on Wednesday.

Party president Nawaz Sharif is contesting the election from the NA-120 constituency, which consists of old city areas.

Shahbaz Sharif is in the run from the NA-129 constituency consisting of rural areas along Kasur road.

For the first time, any Sharif has stepped out of downtown constituencies to fight for a suburban seat, which had gone to the PPP in the last election.

The party has retained seven former MNAs: Malik Riaz (NA-118), Hamza Shahbaz (NA-119), Ayaz Sadiq (NA-122), Pervaiz Malik (NA-123), Sheikh Rohail Asghar (NA-124), Khwaja Saad Rafiq (NA-125) and Afzal Khokhar (NA-128).

Former MPA Mehr Ishtiaq has been fielded in NA-121 and former mayor Khwaja Hassan in NA-126.

Waheed Alam Khan, a newcomer, will be in the race for NA-127, while Sohail Shaukat Butt will face former PPP MNA Samina Khalid Gurki in NA-130.

Butt lost to PPP’s Ghulam Habib Awan in PP-158, which falls under NA-130, in the last election.

Mian Marghub, Omar Suhail Zia Butt and Naseer Bhutta have been denied party tickets, while has been ‘demoted’ to a provincial constituency.

For 25 Punjab Assembly seats, eight replacements have been made and two seats have been ‘adjusted’.

Rana Iqbal, Dr Asad Ashraf, Ajasim Sharif, Waseem Qadir, Naveed Anjum, Allah Rakha, Hafiz Nauman, Rana Ijaz Ahmed, Dr Saeed Elahi, Rana Mubashar and former minister Abdul Ghafoor have been denied tickets this time.

They have been replaced by party worker Mushtaq Mughal (PP-138), former UC nazim Majid Zahoor (PP-140), party worker Bao Akhtar Ali (PP-144), former CMIT member Waheed Gul (PP-145), Malik Waheed (PP-146), former PML-Q MPA Akhtar Rasool (PP-148), former UC nazim Tauseef Shah (PP-151) and Saiful Malook Khokhar (PP-160).

Khwaja Imran Nazeer, who returned as MPA from PP-139 in the last election, has been adjusted in PP-137 and Khwaja Salmaan Rafiq in PP-152 instead of PP-142, which has now been given to Hamza Shahbaz.

Former MNA Bilal Yasin has been given ticket for PP-139. Mujtaba Shuja, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohsin Lateef, Rana Mashhood and Mehr Ishtiaq will retain their constituencies PP-141, PP-143, PP-147, PP-149 and PP-150, respectively.

Ramzan Sidddiq Bhatti (PP-153), Zaeem Qadri (PP-154), Mian Naseer (PP-155), Yasin Sohl (PP-156) and Rana Tajammal (PP-157) will also retain their constituencies, while PP-158 has gone to former PPP MPA Ghulam Habib, who recently defected to PML-N. Shahbaz Sharif will contest the election from PP-59 and PP-161.

Some party activists protested and beat their chests outside party’s Model Town office on Wednesday, as they objected to distribution of tickets.

In a related development, the Jamaat-e-Islami has withdrawn its candidates Ehsanullah Waqas and Khalid Ahmed from NA-127 and PP-153, respectively.

It is learnt the party is also considering withdrawing its nominee against Hamza Shahbaz.