2018 Punjab provincial election

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The 2018 Punjab provincial election in Pakistan was held on July 25, 2018, to elect the 17th Punjab Assembly. The province has 371 seats in total, with 186 needed for a majority. In this election, 297 seats were contested and turnout was 56.44%.

Key parties and leaders:
- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led in Punjab, with Shah Mahmood Qureshi as the party’s Punjab leader.
- Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) was led by Hamza Shahbaz.
- The sitting Chief Minister before the election was Shehbaz Sharif of PML-N.

Results:
- PTI won the most seats in Punjab (about 184).
- PML-N won about 164 seats.
- PTI did not win an outright majority, so it formed a coalition government with PML-Q and gained support from independents to govern.
- Usman Buzdar of PTI became the Chief Minister.

Notable developments:
- In April 2018, a group of PML-N lawmakers formed the Janoobi Punjab Sooba Mahaz to campaign for a South Punjab province.
- By May 2018, this group merged with PTI after PTI promised to make South Punjab province a priority in its manifesto.

Impact:
- The election marked a major shift in Punjab politics, ending the long period of PML-N dominance in the province. The rise of PTI and the South Punjab issue were key themes of the result.