LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are in a tough contest as election campaign for by-election in PP-168 (Lahore-XXV) came to an end on Tuesday midnight.

The polling will be held tomorrow (Thursday) and the authorities have announced a local holiday for the constituency.

The PP-168 seat has been vacated by PML-N stalwart Khawaja Saad Rafique as he got elected as MNA from NA-131 seat – a seat vacated by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PTI has fielded Malik Asad Ali Khokhar who was earlier given the ticket to contest general election from NA-136 (Lahore-XIV) but lost. The PML-N has fielded Rana Khalid advocate. Eleven candidates are contesting the by-poll.

The PPP has not fielded any candidate and announced its support for the PML-N candidate in the by-polls. Punjab PPP secretary general Chaudhry Manzoor announced support for the PML-N candidate after a delegation, led by PML-N MNA Pervaiz Malik, visited the PPP Secretariat to formally seek the support.

It is worth mentioning that MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique and Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz were vigorously campaigning for their candidate Rana Khalid advocate. Rafique has been arrested by National Accountability Bureau, while Hamza was not allowed to board a Doha-bound flight for his name being in blacklist. Hamza’s name was later put on the ECL.

Both PTI and PML-N candidates vigorously campaigned for by-election and tried to woo the voters by holding public meetings as well as approaching them during in a door-to-door campaign.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2018