ISLAMABAD – Four more independent MPAs have joined PTI on Monday taking thePTI tally to over 140 including 8 from the PML Q.

For a simple majority PTI needs at least 149 directly elected MPAs out of297 general members to form government in the largest province of thecountry in terms of population.

In a meeting with PTI chairman Imran Khan, MPAs-elect Saeed Akbar Niwanifrom PP-90 Bhakkar, Ameer Muhammad Khan from PP-89 Bhakkar, Fida Wattoofrom Bahawalnagar and Abdul Hai Dasti from PP-270 Muzaffargarh announcedthey would lend their support for the PTI, a press release by the party’sCentral Media Department said.

After the July 25 vote, the PML-N has emerged as the single-largest partyin the Punjab Assembly with 129 seats, while the PTI has a tally of 123.The PML-Q has eight MPAs after the joining of an independent member, whilethe PPP has six. There are 28 independents in all.

The PML-N claims support of nine independent candidates, but has not madetheir names public. Its efforts to woo the PPP and PML-Q are provingfutile. It had assigned National Assembly former speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiqthe task of persuading the ‘Q’ leadership to support ‘N’ in the race forthe chief minister’s office.

The PTI leadership claims it is closing in on its goal of 149 seats in thePunjab Assembly. It has so far mustered the support of 14 independents,taking its tally to 137 — eight more than the PML-N’s total. Fourindependents joined the party on Saturday and six others on Sunday.

Expecting to rope in 10 more independents in the next two days and with thesupport of PML-Q’s eight seats, the PTI leaders had been tweeting “Gameover for PML-N”.