Pakistan’s 2024 elections have surprised former three times Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, with PTI-backed independent candidates winning the majority of the national assembly seats as well as the majority of seats in the KP assembly. The Punjab Assembly has also witnessed tough competition between PTI-backed independent candidates and PML(N).
Up to the last hours before the election polls began, everyone was predicting Nawaz Sharif would become a fourth-time prime minister; however, the delayed election results surprised everyone. Despite nationwide internet disruptions and all odds, the PTI-backed independent candidates have managed to achieve a majority. Despite all hopes and plans, Nawaz Sharif’s PMLN has achieved less than 100 National Assembly seats. Let’s analyze the reasons behind the unexpected election results.
The PTI-backed independent candidates have achieved such successful results due to multiple reasons. The most notable reason behind the PTI’s poll success is the social media campaigning. They have attracted a majority of youth from across the country to vote for them in the polls. On online platforms, the PTI has portrayed itself as an oppressed victim party. PTI workers have portrayed the imprisonment of their leadership as a tool to attract sympathy among the youth. Their social media team worked hard to deliver the message of revenge against oppression on social platforms. These tactics helped them greatly in achieving fame among the people.
The conviction of PTI’s leader Imran Khan in multiple cases just a few days before the election has also attracted a lot of sympathy from across the country for him, resulting in a major success in the general elections. Along with Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and other leaders of the party have also been in prison for the last few months after the violent events of May 9th.
The majority of youth love Imran Khan because he speaks about the things that the youth want. The youth want development, ‘Tabdeeli’ (change), inspiration, motivation, an anti-American narrative, and most notably, the eradication of corrupt elements from the political landscape. Although he hasn’t delivered on these promises during his three and a half years in power, the youth still love to hear these chants and hopes of ‘Tabdeeli.’ Another reason is the sentiment of victimhood felt by PTI voters due to oppression and imprisonments.
After the elections, it is expected that PML(N), along with other parties including PPP, can form another PDM to achieve governance. The previous PDM government was already ineffective; another PDM 2.0 could lead to more chaos and hopelessness among the youth. After all, our nation deserves development and prosperity, and achieving them is challenging in today’s landscape, yet they are everyone’s dream.
The diffident rule by the PDM parties before the caretaker set-up, and their failure to deliver, has also left a landscape of hopelessness among the youth, leading them to vote for the PTI. Although the PDM set-up managed to rescue Pakistan from economic default risks, their rule was marked by uncertainty and fluctuations. The high level of inflation during the PDM rule was another reason for voters to choose PTI over any other party, as the youth believes Imran can deliver better than the PDM. Although it is evident that Imran Khan didn’t deliver the best during his rule, people are still hopeful and want to give him another chance.
During the election campaigns, PTI workers faced multiple issues, from internet disruptions during virtual conventions to being disallowed from holding any physical conventions. Despite all the odds, PTI achieved clear success and proved that people don’t vote for past politics but rather for fresh narratives.
Another question that arises here is why the PML(N) and Nawaz Sharif didn’t gain any prominent majority. This question has several possible answers. Firstly, the PML(N) was overly confident of its success and didn’t campaign hard enough. Their overconfidence led to unexpected results.
Secondly, their social media team didn’t perform as well as the PTI’s. Thirdly, diffident rule by the PDM parties before the caretaker set-up, and their failure to deliver, a few months ago, led by Shahbaz Sharif, contributed to voter hopelessness about the future due to his confused policies and actions. Additionally, the PML(N)’s dependency on the establishment to achieve government and the high level of inflation during its rule were also factors contributing to their defeat.
After the elections, it is expected that PML(N), along with other parties including PPP, can form another PDM to achieve governance. The previous PDM government was already ineffective; another PDM 2.0 could lead to more chaos and hopelessness among the youth. After all, our nation deserves development and prosperity, and achieving them is challenging in today’s landscape, yet they are everyone’s dream.
