Local governments: PML-N, PTI set to battle it out in Lodhran

A chairman, a vice chairman and 56 councillors have been elected unopposed

BAHAWALPUR:

A chairman, a vice chairman, four municipal committee members and 56 councillors have been elected unopposed in local government elections in Lodhran. As many as 34 candidates for chairman and 154 for union council members have withdrawn their nomination papers.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, 238 candidates are running for union council chairman, 1,119 for union council membership and 279 for municipal committee membership.

Of the 576 polling stations, 43 have been reserved for male voters and 43 for women. Of the 817,446 registered voters, 453,723 are men and 363,723 are women. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf (PTI), the Pakistan People Party (PPP), the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) have fielded candidates.

A tough contest is expected between the PML-N and the PTI. A number of formerly PML-N supporters are now supporting PTI candidates in the district. The strong Shaheed Kanjoo group is backed by the PML-N.

Many PPP voters, too, are supporting PTI and PML-N candidates. The PAT and the JI have not been very active in their election campaigns.

After by-election in NA-154 were stayed, the focus has shifted to local government elections. Jahangir Khan Tareen and his son Ali Tareen are hoping that the Supreme Court will uphold the disqualification of Siddique Khan Baloch. They are still running the campaign for the by election in addition to that for local government polls.

Abdul Rehman Kanjoo, the MNA from NA-155, and some MPAs in Lodhran are also taking keen interest in NA-154.

In Dunyapur, a tough competition is expected between the PML-N and an independent candidate backed by PTI leader Zawar Waraich and former PPP leader Chaudhry Shafiq Araeen.

Jahangir Tareen has succeeded in winning over some former PML-N and PPP MNAs and MPAs. This, however, will not be a great advantage in the near future as most of them do not belong to NA-154.

In most union councils in NA-155, the Shaheed Kanjoo group enjoys good support. In NA-154 union councils, Jahangir Tareen claims majority support.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2015.