Run-up to elections: Poll battles heat up in Rawalpindi cantts

Posters, flags, hoardings flood cantonment areas of garrison city.

RAWALPINDI: A plethora of eye-catching, colourful and innovative posters have intensified the first-ever local government elections in cantonment boards of the garrison city.

In a run-up to the local elections, political parties have been actively engaged in putting up posters carrying pictures of candidates with slogans vowing them to be the ‘most honest and trusted person(s),’ ‘young and education leaders’, ‘capable of serving citizens’ and ‘the perfect to bring change’.

Rickshaws have been hired in localities to display election posters and carry flags and posters and billboards featuring candidates and their party leaders can be seen on every nook and corner of the cantonment areas. Layers upon layers of posters have been pasted on walls of plazas, poles, bus stands and overhead bridges.

With only a few days before the elections, the ‘poster war’ is expected to gain momentum with each party making all-out efforts to woo supporters.

Some parties like Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League and Pakistan Peoples Party, are trying to cash on their central leadership by giving them more space in posters than the candidates contesting the elections.

Badges and caps are being distributed among party workers and activists can be seen wearing their respective party gear.

The PTI has asked its workers and supporters to out up party flags on roofs and decorate their streets with the party’s posters and banners. “PTI has changed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and will also bring a positive change in the cantonments,” said Atif Qureshi, candidate of ward No 10.

The residents however, don’t seem to be too affected by the advertisements as they believe the candidates would disappear after the elections.

“Everyone is claiming to bring about development and talks about our welfare but after the elections they would never be seen,” said Sajjad Akhtar, a voter of Ward 9 of Rawalpindi cantonment. Teams have been formed to run door-to-door campaigns and hold corner meetings to gauge the public pulse and bring voters to their side.

Free meals

Candidates of all parties roam around streets accompanied by their supporter offering free drinks, lunch and dinner to voters. The voters are also cashing in on the opportunity by enjoying the free meals.

“Such free feasts happen rarely so we want to enjoy as much as possible,” said Khalid Ahmad, a voter of ward No 10 of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board. However, how much votes this trick can fetch would be seen on polling day.

Each candidate and their supporters are spending thousands of rupees on electioneering, printing banners, posters, party flags and giving free meals. According to the ECP, a candidate cannot spend more than Rs200,000 for the election campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2015.