Grassroots representation: Independents potential dark horses

PML-N, PTI have fielded the most candidates for April 25 vote

LAHORE:

Political temperature in the city’s two cantonments continues to rise ahead of Cantonment Board elections.

The elections are scheduled to be held on April 25 in 10 wards each in Lahore Cantonment and Walton Cantonment. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are fielding the highest number of candidates.

Other political parties contesting the elections include the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek. The Provincial Election Commissioner has issued a list of 117 candidates in the run in Walton Cantonment and more than 80 in Lahore Cantonment.



Pakistan Peoples Party

The PPP has fielded 15 candidates – seven from Lahore Cantonment and eight from Walton Cantonment. It is supporting two independent candidates in two Lahore Cantonment’s wards.

Party leader Bushra Aitezaz says any attempt at forging new alliances seems unlikely.

“There are too many independent candidates. Also, every party is trying to field its own candidate… at this level, alliances hardly materialise.”

Traditionally, she says those in power have been influencing the vote outcome, something she believes the Election Commission should watch out for. Wooing voters through announcements of development schemes or calling government figures to corner meetings, she says, amounts to pre-poll rigging.



Jamaat-i-Islami

The party believes Cantonment Board elections are about individual candidates.

“At this level, politics is all about candidates,” says JI information secretary Ameerul Azeem. The party has fielded 15 candidates – six from Lahore Cantonment and nine from Walton Cantonment.

Azeem says the party has not pledged its support to any other political party. However, he says, it is considering endorsing some independent candidates in the wards where the JI is not fielding candidates.

“The outcome of the elections will [largely] be dependent on individual candidates.” He said the party had tried to talk to the PTI about seat adjustments but it did not work out. The party has started campaigning in several wards.

Pakistan Awami Tehreek

The party has fielded all its seven candidates in the Walton Cantonment. It is looking to support up to five independent candidates in Lahore Cantonment. Secretary general Khurram Nawaz Gandapur says the party has reached no ‘formal’ agreement with any political party.

“We favour certain independent candidates in the wards where we have not fielded our candidates.”

The party had already started its election campaign. The central leadership, including Raheeq Abbasi and Gandapur, and a five-member committee started canvassing on Thursday.

The party has accused the government of using official machinery to influence the polls.

Gandapur says a written complaint in this regard has been sent to the Election Commission.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz

The party says has fielded 20 candidates in the elections. However, the data provided by the Election Commission so far says it has 19 candidates. The difference in number could be due to the fact the commission has yet to allot symbols to some candidates.

PML-N Lahore president Pervaiz Malik says the party hopes to sweep the polls.

“We have a fine track record in these areas. Our association with the electorate goes back a long way. We feel no real pressure from other political parties.”

He denied the claims that the government was influencing the polls.

“We have been strictly following the Election Commission’s code of conduct,” he says.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf

The party says it has fielded 20 candidates. The Election Commission’s data puts the number at 18.

The party believes it is a strong contender because it has a ‘massive’ support in the area.

Lahore senior vice president Shoaib Siddiqui says the party received more than 100 applications for 20 seats and that there is no need for it to look for candidates from outside.

“We have a strong following in these areas as was evident in our struggle against electoral rigging.”

Siddiqui says the party would move the Election Commission if the government tried to influence the poll outcome. He says the party has some reservations regarding polling agents and that it had taken up the matter with the commission on Thursday.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2015.