Amid uncertainty, electioneering muted in Punjab

Province lacks the usual hustle and bustle associated with the voting

LAHORE:

With about two weeks to go to the general elections in Punjab as per the date given by the Supreme Court, the province lacked the usual hustle and bustle associated with the voting.

Markets and roads are colourless and the overall environment remains humdrum as leading political parties are uncertain about the elections on May 14. No wonder candidates are holding themselves back from launching a formal election campaigns.

The Supreme Court has ordered the election for the Punjab Assembly on May 14. However, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government showed reluctance and refused to release funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Elections in Punjab – the most populous province of the country – is always a high stakes affair for the leading political parties, as the winner here takes all – the federal government. Therefore, electioneering in the province is never an ordinary affair.

Leaders of the political parties leave no stone unturned and no expense unmet, when it comes to woo voters. Decorating every main road of constituencies with party flags, banners, posters and buntings is common.

Though the May 14 elections, if held, will be conducted only for the Punjab Assembly but its result will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the outcome of National Assembly elections that are to be held later the year.

In the ongoing political scenario, Punjab largely remains a two-party affair – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former prime minister Imran Khan, and the PML-N, of the incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. There are other parties also in the fray.

On April 4, a three member bench of the Supreme Court ordered the ECP to hold elections in Punjab on May 14 and instructed the federal government to disburse Rs.21 billion to polls supervisor for holding the elections by 10 April.

On April 11, however, the ECP informed the apex court about the government's reluctance in releasing Rs21 billion for the election expenses. Ultimately, the PTI and the coalition government sat across the negotiating table this week to find a political solution.

Senior leaders of the ruling alliance believe that the outcome of the Punjab elections would have an overbearing effect on the elections elsewhere in the country, which is why they demanded simultaneous elections.

The impact of Punjab elections on general elections has become an even more serious problem for the government when seen in the light of recent by-elections and surveys that showed popularity of the PTI in the province.

As far as the preparations of the May 14 vote are concerned, all leading political parties, other than the PML-N, have issued tickets to their candidates. Though the PML-N aspirants are in the field but only as independent candidates.

A PTI leader, who has been issued a ticket, said that the party wanted the candidates to launch full-throttled election campaign but given the circumstances, when uncertainty looms, it seemed a waste of resources.

“They [the PTI candidates] are making their presence felt in their respective areas, but putting up banners, posters and hoarding, seem futile, when even the Supreme Court is unable to execute its orders,” he added.

The PTI leader, who did not wished to named, mentioned that the PML-N – the main rival of the PTI – has yet to issue tickets, adding that many in his party believed that elections would be delayed.

A former PML-N member of the Punjab Assembly said that the party had not yet started the process for the tickets. In Lahore, he added, there were more than two candidates in every constituency, so it was difficult to guess who would contest from where.

He emphasised that the party position on the election issue was very clear, therefore, they would not launch any campaign whatsoever. “As far as informal canvassing is concerned, most of them have started it in the month of Ramazan.
While a former MPA of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said that they had informally started their campaigns by holding meetings with the constituents, but they would not go any further, as the party leadership had taken a clear position against the elections.