Bahawalpur: In the recent General Election of 2024, the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) elected from NA-165 Bahawalpur-II garnered only 24% of the total registered voter support, securing 116,571 votes out of 308,297 ballots cast. The constituency's voter turnout was 64%, yet the elected representative achieved victory with just 38% of those votes, reflecting the workings of Pakistan's First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system, which requires only the highest vote share for a win.

According to Free and Fair Election Network, the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) of the constituency revealed that the majority of voters, 59%, chose other candidates, with 182,891 ballots cast for the opposition. The runner-up candidate received 34% of the votes, while the third-placed contender obtained 16%. The remaining candidates shared 9% of the votes, and 3% of ballots were declared invalid.

This analysis is part of FAFEN's broader examination of electoral representativeness across the 266 National Assembly constituencies in Pakistan. The data underscores the limitations of the FPTP system, which often results in winners lacking majority support. In contrast, a proportional representation system would align legislative seats more closely with the actual distribution of voter preferences, offering a more inclusive reflection of the electorate's choices. The findings from Pakistan's GE-2024 elections highlight the disparity between votes cast and the representation achieved, a trend observed across all constituencies.