ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed to jointly contest upcoming by-elections using a seat-adjustment formula. The decision came after a meeting between senior leaders of both parties to finalize their electoral strategy.
A PML-N delegation led by Federal Ministers Hanif Abbasi and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry visited former National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf’s residence to hold negotiations. PPP leaders Raja Pervez Ashraf and Nayyar Bukhari represented their party during the discussions.
Following the meeting, Raja Pervez Ashraf told the media that both parties had reached an understanding. According to the agreement, in constituencies where PPP came second in the general elections, PML-N would support its candidate. Similarly, PPP would back PML-N in constituencies where it was the runner-up.
Hanif Abbasi confirmed that the same formula had been successfully used in previous by-elections. He emphasized that both parties remain allies in the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies and would continue to cooperate in future polls to ensure victory.
The alliance reflects ongoing political coordination between the two parties, who have previously held multiple meetings to discuss power-sharing in Punjab and national matters. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently to raise party concerns, which the premier promised to address.