Bilawal launches election campaign from Lahore
To get a head start on other parties in Punjab, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday formally launched his election campaign from NA-127 Lahore, whereas his party announced his countrywide election rally schedule to capitalise on the political vacuum artificially created by the establishment in Pakistan.
With its only main rival in the field PML-N still deliberating on the matter of allotting tickets for Punjab and K-P, the PPP leaders were busy in their constituencies canvassing for votes since, according its central Punjab chief, the party had already given confirmation to a majority of aspiring candidates regarding award of ticket.
The announcement remains a mere formality, acting central Punjab president said.
The PPP has already revealed its 10-point agenda, which was a part of its manifesto, according to Bilawal.
The party’s information secretary on Thursday revealed that the party would reveal its manifesto in the coming few days.
The PML-N had constituted its manifesto committee over a month ago and under it, more than 30 subcommittees were formed but despite all the romp and pomp, nothing had been made public.
Recently, the PML-N announced an online portal to seek input from the public at large regarding its manifesto, which showed the entire exercise was not in its advanced stages.Rally schedule
The PPP on Thursday announced its chairman’s schedule of some 30 rallies starting on Jan 10 from Swabi and ending on Feb 6 in Larkana.
During his election campaign trail, he would address rallies in Faisalabad (Jan 11), Layah (Jan 12), Bahawalpur (Jan 13), Balochistan’s Naseerabad (Jan 14), Sindh’s Larkana (Jan 15), Qambar Shahdadkot (Jan 16) Badin and Sanghar (Jan 17), Nowshero Feroz and Dadu (Jan 18), Rahim Yar Khan (Jan 19) Kot Daud (Jan 20), Lahore (Jan 21), Chiniot (Jan 23), Sarghoda (Jan 24), Lala Musa (Jan 25) Multan (Jan 26), Peshawar (Jan 27) , Rawalpindi (Jan 28), Kurram (Jan 29), DI Khan (Jan 30), Malakand (Jan 31), Khuzdar (Feb 1), Kashmor and Shikarpur (Feb 2) Mirpurkhas (Feb 3), Hyderabad (Jan 4) and his second last rally as per schedule would be in Karachi (Jan 5).Why NA-127 Lahore
Bilawal also visited his election office at Green Town in Lahore to formally launch his election campaign, where he also met with a large number of party workers.
Bilawal will contest elections from three constituencies, including the NA-127 and party’s stronghold Larkana.
The decision of Bilawal to contest election from Lahore was welcomed by his party’s Punjab chapter that had long felt that the party leadership had given up on Punjab.
This decision to contest from Lahore, an erstwhile PML-N stronghold, was also necessitated by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to contest from Karachi NA-242.
Though this would be Shehbaz’s second attempt to gain traction in Karachi, prior to this, Shehbaz contested from NA-249 Karachi and lost to PTI’s Faisal Vawda, though by a thin margin.
The reason of selecting this very constituency was to capitalise on the hard work of most active leaders of Lahore, Faisal Mir, who incidentally happens to be the brother of caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir and Aslam Gill. Faisal Mir, since losing the 2018 election, kept his nose to the grindstone in hopes of making to the National Assembly in the next elections.
Little did he know that his hard work would cost him his seat, a former party parliamentarian said in a lighter vein.
Mir is being accommodated on a provincial seat. Aslam Gill, is also said to have strong roots in this constituency.
Interestingly the local chapter of the party, were fully behind Gill.
By contesting from this seat, Bilawal has mitigated his chances of a white wash, the leader said.
He said that it was also an honour for those who have worked hard in this constituency that Bilawal chose his NA-127 over all others to contest from.
The PPP hopes to secure this constituency, previously known as NA-133, due to the outcome of the Dec 2021 by-election results, wherein its leader Gill had secured around 32,000 votes as compared to PML-N’s winning candidate Shaista
Pervez Malik, who had secured around 46,000. Gill, who had obtained only around 5,585 votes in 2018 secured an increase of around 26,415 votes, which was no small feat. However, the success mainly was attributed to the PTI candidates’ voluntary or involuntary misfiling of nomination papers owing to which Jamshed Cheema and his wife Musrat Jamshed Cheema got disqualified, giving Gill a walkover to bag anti-PML-N votes.
The situation, given how things are unfolding for the PTI, seems to be no different for the PPP.
The PPP does not have any sizable vote bank in the province except for a few areas.
Even in Lahore, the party does not have any mentionable presence to capitalise on.
Interestingly, the PPP was hoping to capitalise on PT’s fall.
A leader said due to the PTI’s absence from the political arena, the PPP has a golden opportunity to cash in on since anti-
PML-N vote is most likely to come their way.
The PML-N is expected to issue NA-127 ticket to its Deputy General Secretary Ata Tarar.
He said the PTI members are unlikely to get their election symbol ‘bat’ and even if they do get it, they don’t have any real chance of winning under these harsh circumstances.
Earlier in the day, Bilawal addressed a rally organised at the farmhouse of former provincial minister Abdul Ghafoor Mao. Mao prior to the rally met Bilawal and PPPP President Asif Zardari at Bilawal House and announced joining the PPPP.