Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has emerged as the most popular political party of the country in the surveys, conducted by Gallup Pakistan and International Republican Institute (IRI), for the forthcoming general elections.
According to survey, conducted on the basis of voting intentions across all four provinces of the country during past three months, Nawaz Sharif’s party is the strongest competitor for the upcoming general elections, expected to be held in May, with the average score of 37%.
Ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are second and third most popular parties of the country with a national level score of 16%.
According to the survey conducted by IRI in November last year, 32% people said that they will vote PML-N and in recent survey, 42% people intentioned to vote this party, which means PML-N’s vote bank has been grown to 9%. .
In November’s survey of IRI, 18% had demonstrated the intention to vote PTI but in current survey, the supports of Imran Khan have been reduced to 14%. In the same survey, 14% people had said that they will vote PPP but now their vote bank has been raised to 17%.
If the results are analyzed on the basis of provinces, in IRI’s November survey the PML-N had 49% votes in Punjab but now it has been rose to 50%. In previous survey, the popularity of PTI in Punjab was 19% which have now been reduced to 14%. PPP, which got the support of 8% people of Punjab in previous survey, has witnessed 2% increase in its vote bank in the province.
If we talk about Sindh, 32% people were agreed to vote PPP in the IRI survey and in the current survey, this figure has rose to 37%. After witnessing 3% increase in its vote bank in Sindh with the support of 19% people, MQM has emerged as the second most popular party in the province. PTI, who’s popularity in previous survey in Sindh was 9%, has been reduced to 7% in the latest survey.
In previous survey in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 32% had the intentions to vote for PTI but now its vote bank has been reduced to 28%. PML-N has emerged as the frontrunner for the upcoming elections and its popularity, which was just 12% in the previous elections, has been propelled to 34%. Witnessing the rise of 8%, Awami National Party’s popularity in KP has been raised to 11%. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Ammal (MMA) shares 10% vote bank.
Despite of witnessing the reduction of 1% in its vote bank in Balochistan, PPP is the frontrunner for elections in the province with the support of 17% people. PML-N is the second most popular party in Balochistan with 12%. Like other provinces, PTI’s popularity also reduced in Balochistan, and where previously 8% people were agreed to Imran Khan’s party, now just 3% nave the intentions to do so.
