NA-143 Sahiwal-III and PP-203 Sahiwal-VI are among the constituencies where voters will elect new representatives on November 23, 2025. Both constituencies fall within Chichawatni tehsil and its surrounding rural areas.
What areas do these constituencies comprise?
NA-143 and PP-203 cover overlapping parts of Chichawatni tehsil, including Chichawatni town. NA-143 had a population of 927,489 in 2023 according to the Preliminary List of Constituencies (Form-5) issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). It includes Chichawatni city and most of the tehsil, covering areas such as Kassowal, Iqbal Nagar, Shahkot, Okanwala, and several patwar circles of Ghaziabad Qanungoi.
PP-203 had a population of 393,617 and comprises Chichawatni city, rural parts of Chichawatni Qanungoi, and segments of Dad Fatiana Qanungoi. Most of PP-203 lies within NA-143, while the rest falls in NA-142.
Why are these by-elections taking place in Chichawatni?
In the General Elections 2024, PTI-backed independent candidates Rai Hassan Nawaz and his nephew Rai Murtaza Iqbal won seats in NA-143 and PP-203. In July 2025, both were convicted by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad in cases linked to the violent protests of May 9, 2023, which led to the seats falling vacant.
Who are contesting the by-election?
The Final List of Contesting Candidates (Form-33), available on ECP website, shows that only two candidates are contesting in each constituency. In NA-143, PML-N has fielded Muhammad Tufail Jutt against independent candidate Zarrar Akbar Choudhary. In PP-203, PML-N’s Muhammad Hanif Jutt, brother of Tufail Jutt, is contesting against independent candidate Falak Sher Dogar.
Several notable candidates withdrew their nomination papers before the final list was issued. These include PPPP’s Shehzad Cheema, PML-N’s Zahid Iqbal, and IPP’s Falak Sher Langrial. Some members of the Rai family had also submitted their nomination papers for by-election, which they withdrew after PTI announced a boycott of the by-elections.
Check Here the Constituency-wise Assessment of GE-2024 Election Results
Who are traditional heavy-weights in the constituency?
The Rai family, to which Rai Hassan Nawaz and Rai Murtaza Iqbal belong, has been an influential political group in Chichawatni. They have been associated with PML-N and PML-Q before joining PTI in 2011 and have maintained a strong vote bank in the tehsil. Since 2002, they have won at least one seat from the area in every general election except in 2008. Their absence from the current contest is expected to affect voter turnout.
The PML-N candidate Tufail Jutt began his electoral career in 1997 when he contested PP-184 on a PPP ticket. He later served as Tehsil Nazim in 2002. Over the years, he has been associated with the Rai Group, PPP, and PML-Q before joining PML-N. He won the National Assembly seat from Chichawatni in a 2015 by-election for the first time. In 2018 and 2024, he lost to the Rai family candidates, securing 40 percent and 26 percent of the polled votes. His brothers, Chaudhry Muhammad Hanif Jutt and Chaudhry Muhammad Arshad Jutt, have also served as members of the Punjab Assembly.
Two other influential political figures who have publicly endorsed the PML-N candidate are Chaudhry Zahid Iqbal and Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial. Zahid Iqbal was elected to the National Assembly in 2008 from Chichawatni on a PPP ticket, securing 70,634 votes. Langrial has been elected multiple times to both the Punjab and National Assemblies from Chichawatni since 2002. PPP’s Shehzad Cheema has also maintained a consistent vote bank in the constituency.
What has changed since GE-2024?
The number of registered voters has increased since the 2024 general elections. NA-143 has added more than 25,000 voters, while PP-203 has added over 11,600 voters. The number of polling stations remains unchanged. NA-143 has 442 polling stations, including 99 male-only, 87 female-only, and 256 combined stations. PP-203 has 185 polling stations, with 54 designated for men, 54 for women, and 74 combined.
