It's not a matter of rejection. This isn't about winning or losing, but of what the people thought they want. The truth is that the PTI has gained massive support in Lahore, and the only reason they didn't win was because the people didn't want a change in leadership yet. Things would become chaotic and worse for everyday life, if a change occurred so suddenly. The logic is that the current leadership should be allowed to finish it's term. There is a reason why elections happen every few years, and NOT every year. The common man is tired of all this political bickering, and no political party is aware of just how exhausted the citizens are.
Come next elections, PTI will probably win, and PML-N will probably come second place. PPP is gonna stay third, and MQM will most likely become a dead party, winning (at most) a few seats.