VEHARI, Feb 21: Among the so many firsts people are associating with the 2008 election outcome is the Pakistan People’s Party’s landslide victory in Vehari. It is for the first time that the party has bagged a major chunk of seats here, that is, two of the four national and five of the eight provincial assembly slots.

The PML’s N and Q have got two seats each — one national and one provincial -– and an independent hopeful has clinched one provincial assembly slot.

Of the four newly-elected MNAs and eight MPAs in Vehari district, two MNAs and six MPAs have been elected for the first time. One of the MNAs will represent her people for the fourth consecutive term and another MNA and two MPAs will function at their respective offices for the second consecutive time.

A former federal minister, Ishaq Khan Khakwani, a former provincial assembly speaker, Saeed Manais (who contested from two slots), three ex-provincial ministers — Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad, Pir Ghulam Mohyuddin Chishti and Chaudhry Mahmood Akhtar Ghuman — three ex-MNAs — Chaudhry Qurban Ali Chauhan, Mian Noor Muhammad Bhabha and Aftab Ahmad Khichi — and seven ex-MPAs (Nazir Ahmad Mithu Dogar, Majid Nawaz Arain, Javed Iqbal Khichi, Muhammad Ayub Suldaira, Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Dougal, Khalid Mahmood Chauhan and Mian Sikandar Ali Daultana) have lost polls.

Both Chaudhry Qurban and his son Khalid Mahmood are among the losers. Saeed Ahmad Manais suffered defeat, but his son Asif Saeed has won the election. MNA-elect Begum Tehmina Daultana, who has served as an MNA in 1993, 1997 and 2002, has won from NA-169, though she has lost from NA-168 where her nephew Azeem Daultana turned out to be her rival.

Those elected for their offices for the first time are: Mahmood Hayat Toochi (NA-170), Azeem Daultana (NA-168), Fayyaz Ahmad Warraich (PP-232), Sardar Khalid Saleem (PP-233), Nawab Shehryar Khakwani (PP-234), Malik Nausher Langrial (PP-235), Naeem Bhabha (PP-237) and Sardar Muhammad Khichi (PP-239).