Thursday’s ballots saw political giants suffering drubbing at the hands of PTI-backed candidates, defying most poll projections as they chalked up wins in places that have favoured their rivals in past elections, while many others managed to defend their seats.
Observers noted that the voters, armed with their ballots as weapons, delivered poetic justice with electoral slaps to those who had deserted parties, thanks in large part to a groundswell of opposition against turncoats.
For sheer symbolism, analysts saw the wins and defeats as the proverbial David slaying the all-mighty Goliath, with many parties boasting invincible organisational skills and political nous biting the dust.
On the other hand, many managed to retain seats in the stunning aftermath of polling.
In a showdown between the titans, PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur emerged as the undisputed champion, delivering a resounding blow to the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman with 93,443 votes to 59,922 votes.
Read more: Imran declares election victory in AI-generated message
PML-N’s chief organiser Maryam Nawaz clinched her inaugural victory in the National Assembly, securing a triumph with 83,855 votes. In a closely contested race, Shehzad Farooq, supported by the PTI, secured the second position with a commendable 68,376 votes.
Meanwhile, PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz extended the Sharif family's winning streak in Lahore by outperforming PTI-backed Aliya Hamza Malik, securing 105,960 votes to her 100,803.
The former defence minister and PML-N stalwart, Khawaja Asif, emerged victorious against PTI-backed Rehana Dar, amassing 118,566 votes in contrast to her 100,272.
However, PML-N leader Javed Latif faced a resounding defeat at the hands of PTI-backed Khurram Shahzad Virk in NA-115 Sheikhupura III. Latif garnered 94,144 votes, trailing significantly behind Virk's impressive 130,255.
In another PML-N triumph, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi secured an easy win with 96,649 votes, prevailing over PTI-backed Shehryar Riaz, who managed 82,613 votes.
However, PML-N heavyweight Rana Sanaullah experienced a setback as a PTI-backed contender triumphed in his hometown constituency in Faisalabad.
The ex-interior minister and PML-N stalwart encountered defeat on his home turf. As per the comprehensive results gathered from all 377 polling stations of NA-100, Dr Nisar Jat, supported by PTI, emerged victorious with 131,996 votes.
Sanaullah secured the second position with a count of 112,403 votes.
Also read: US questions conduct of Pakistan election, calls for ‘fraud’ probe
Meanwhile, in a fierce electoral battle in Lahore's NA-130 constituency of the National Assembly, former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif emerged victorious, overcoming the challenge posed by PTI-backed candidate and former provincial health minister, Dr Yasmin Rashid.
Nawaz Sharif secured victory with a total of 171,024 votes, while Yasmin Rashid garnered 115,043 votes.
Similarly, the younger Sharif and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif showcased his electoral prowess with a victory in the NA-123 Lahore, securing a solid mandate with 63,953 votes, leaving PTI-backed Afzal Azeem Pahat in the runner-up position with 48,486 votes.
Shehbaz also clinched the PP-158 seat in Lahore, securing 38,642 votes. The PTI-backed candidate, Yousuf Ali, trailed as the runner-up with 23,847 votes.
On the other hand, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) founder Jahangir Khan Tareen suffered defeat in Multan against PTI-backed Malik Aamir Dogar. The former PTI luminary garnered a mere 50,166 votes, paling in comparison to Dogar's commanding 143,613 votes.
Similarly, Pervez Khattak, the founder of PTI-Parliamentarians and a former PTI member who previously held the position of the party's K-P chief minister, faced defeat in Nowshera's NA-33 seat.
In a decisive electoral contest, he lost by an overwhelming margin of 66,000 votes to Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah, an independent candidate backed by PTI.
The provisional results from the ECP revealed Shah's victory with an impressive 93,429 votes, while the former K-P chief, Pervez Khattak, secured 26,574 votes.
In a fiercely competitive race, Sardar Latif Khosa, supported by PTI, secured victory over PML-N's Saad Rafique, garnering an impressive 117,109 votes compared to Rafique's 77,907.
PTI leader Gohar Ali Khan, currently representing the party in the absence of its founder, Imran Khan, who is incarcerated, sailed to success in his hometown of Buner, securing an impressive 110,023 votes. The runner-up, ANP's Abdul Rauf, trailed behind with 30,302 votes.
PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat achieved a resounding triumph, securing 117,988 votes, while JUI-F's Asjad Mehmood trailed behind with 68,303 votes.
Asad Qaiser, the former National Assembly speaker and another notable figure from PTI, clinched victory with a total of 115,635 votes. In the electoral race, JUI-F's Fazal Ali secured the second position with 45,567 votes.
Zartaj Gul Wazir, supported by PTI and a former minister of climate change, secured a sweeping triumph with 94,881 votes, leaving independent candidate Mehmood Qadir Khan in the dust with 32,929 votes.
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq faced a major blow in NA-6, Lower Dir I, accumulating 56,538 votes against PTI-backed Muhammad Bashir Khan, who secured the seat with a commanding 81,060 votes.
In another remarkable turn of events, former PTI leader Noor Alam Khan achieved victory in NA-28 Peshawar I, just weeks after joining JUI-F. He secured 138,389 votes, while PTI-backed Sajid Nawaz Khan trailed in the second position with 65,119 votes.
MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui secured a comfortable victory with 103,082 votes, triumphing over PTI-backed Arsalan Khalid, who garnered 86,342 votes.
In another boost for MQM-P, Dr Farooq Sattar further fortified the party's presence in Karachi with 20,048 votes, surpassing PTI-backed Aftab Jahangir's 14,073 votes.
Meanwhile, maintaining its dominance in Sindh, PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari achieved dual triumphs. In NA-196, he secured a landslide victory with 85,370 votes, leaving Nasir Mehmood from JUI-P in second place with 34,449 votes.
In NA-194, the Bhutto scion emerged victorious with 135,112 votes, overshadowing JUI-F's Rashid Mehmood Soomro, who secured 35,311 votes.
As anticipated, former president Asif Ali Zardari dominated in Shaheed Benazirabad, claiming victory with an impressive 146,989 votes. Sardar Sher Muhammad Rind Baloch, a PTI-backed independent candidate, came in as the runner-up with 51,916 votes.
In a closely watched battle, PPP's Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former speaker of the National Assembly, emerged triumphant with 112,265 votes, defeating PTI-backed Tariq Aziz Bhatti, who secured 91,547 votes.
Similarly, the power clash between the Gilani and Qureshi families in the City of Saints was decisively won by PPP-P's Syed Ali Musa Gilani, amassing 79,080 votes. Meanwhile, PTI-backed Meher Bano Qureshi, daughter of incarcerated PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, conceded the Multan seat with 71,649 votes.
In Tharparkar II, PPP-P's Mahesh Kumar Malani secured an easy win, making history as the first non-Muslim to win a general seat in the NA. He achieved this milestone with 132,061 votes, surpassing Arbab Ghulam Rahim of the Grand Democratic Alliance, who garnered 113,346 votes.
ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan faced a significant setback in NA-25 Charsadda II, securing 67,876 votes, while PTI-backed Fazal Muhammad Khan emerged victorious with 100,713 votes.
In the Surab-Kalat-Mastung constituency, the former Chief Minister of Balochistan clinched victory with 3,404 votes, surpassing PPP's Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, who secured the second position with 2,871 votes.
However, he experienced a narrow defeat in the Quetta seat against PPP's Jamal Khan Raisani, a former caretaker minister. Mengal garnered 9,929 votes, falling just short of Raisani's 10,678 votes.
Former leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, running as an independent candidate, faced a double setback in Rawalpindi. In NA-53, he secured the third position with 44,072 votes, trailing behind PML-N's Raja Qamar Islam, who claimed victory with 72,006 votes.
In NA-54, he managed a mere 19,093 votes, while independent candidate Aqeel Malik emerged triumphant with 85,912 votes.
A closely contested battle in NA-231 (Malir III) saw PPP's Abdul Hakeem Baloch securing a narrow victory by edging out PTI-backed Khalid Mahmood Ali, with 43,634 votes to 43,245.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ