Candidates manoeuvre for RMC mayor slot

Party-based local body elections scheduled to be held in May

RAWALPINDI:

After the delimitation of the new neighbourhood and village councils in the district, several candidates of mainstream political parties have started preparations to grab the coveted seat of the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Municipal Corporation (RMMC) and the district council mayor in the upcoming elections under the new local body system in Punjab.

Under the new municipal system, Punjab will have five metropolitan corporations — Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan — and their heads will be called lord mayors. The mayors of all metropolitan corporations across Punjab will be elected by direct vote in their respective constituencies.

The first city mayor slot of Rawalpindi, former MPA Shehriyar Riaz, former MPA Arif Abbasi, former Chairman UC Chaudhry Imtiaz, nephew of Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Sheikh Shakir, PML-N leader MNA Hanif Abbasi and former mayor Sardar Muhammad Naseem Khan and former chairman of Jamaat-e-Islami Raza Ahmad Shah is in the field.

Former deputy district Nazim Afzal Khokhar is also in the fray and if the PPP gives the green signal, he will be in the arena for the city mayorship.

Raja Nasir, the younger brother of PTI law minister Basharat Raja, PTI leader Ajmal Sabir and Chaudhry Afzal are in the field for the slot of the first district council mayor. Former PML-N district Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas is also a strong candidate for the district council slot.

These candidates have started election campaigns by socialising with the people of the constituency on different occasions including participation in party meetings, sports and social events.

Elections are expected in the Rawalpindi district in May while new delimitations and new voters' lists will be ready by April 14.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami candidates will have neck and neck contests in the election.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2022.