Cantonment polls: PML-N men elected in 14 wards, PTI in 5

PML-N secures nine of the 10 seats Walton Cantonment Board.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won 14 out of 20 wards in the Lahore and Walton Cantonment Boards according to unofficial results available on Saturday. Five seats were won by Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf candidates and one by an independent.

Earlier, there was a lot of activity and excitement at the camps set up by political parties, especially the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The PTI and the PML-N had set up several camps in both Walton and Lahore Cantonments.

Supporters of both parties raised slogans competing with each other during the day. However, no confrontation was reported.

Banners, pictures and election symbols of candidates were displayed in Defence Housing Authority’s H Block Market and several Phase 1 commercial areas.

At a PML-N camp in DHA Phase 1, Nasreen Bano, the party’s women wing general secretary, was guiding voters, often breaking the silence with slogans of ‘dekho dekho kaun aya’. “Slogan chanting helps keep the excitement alive,” she said.

Bano said only a few hundred people had shown up to vote by the afternoon. There are 1,500 male and 500 women voters in Ward 2 of the Walton Cantonment Board.

Another PML-N worker, Zahida Azhar, said no one was being harassed and there had been no violation of the code of conduct.

Around 30 women were present at the camp. “Today we hope to prove that the rigging claims were fake. Defence is our stronghold,” she said.

In Ward 4 of the Lahore Cantonment Board, camps had been set up by political parties, including PTI, PML-N, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) as well as independent candidates. PML-N candidate Asif Ali’s camp was the most crowded.

Ashfaq Bhatti of the PTI had established a camp in the H Block Market. He had a team of 50 supporters with him, who assisted voters. “Most of the voters here know where their polling stations are. That is why there is no crowding at our camp,” he said.

Bhatti said voters in nearby localities, including Charar and Keer villages, needed more assistance. “People are taking keen interest in political activity. This is the change we want to bring about,” he said.

[The details of results for all the wards is available on our website]

Voters express satisfaction with arrangements

Most voters appeared satisfied with the conduct of polling. They said the runners-up should accept the results.

The voters The Express Tribune spoke to said they had felt comfortable voting in the presence of armed forces personnel at polling stations.“Everything went well. There was no rush at or in front of polling stations,” said Maryam Khalid, a voter. “The election staff guided us properly.”

Muhammad Amir, another voter, said he did not think that elections could be rigged in the presence of the army personnel. “Voters were thoroughly checked before being allowed to vote,” he said.

For Malik Tahir the best thing was that no crowds of supporters of political parties had gathered in front of polling stations. “During the 2013 general elections, supporters of some political parties had set up booths in front of polling stations.” “Khakhi wardi walay (soldiers) were very cooperative,” said Baba Mujahid Butt. He said he was visually impaired and one of the polling staff had helped him stamp his ballot.

Muhammad Azhar, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz worker, said they had set up a booth near a polling station in Ward 10 but removed it on the authorities’ instructions.

Voting activity

Voting activity remained sluggish at polling stations across Lahore and Walton Cantonments throughout the day. Lack of activity at polling stations across the localities signalled towards a low turnout. The Walton Cantt Ward 1 woman presiding officer told The Express Tribune that only 40 of the 700 voters had cast their ballots at polling station 6.

Only a few hundred votes had been cast at polling stations 15 and 16, among the more active stations in the ward with around 2,300 voters, by 3pm. Most presiding officers opined that voting had picked up in the morning hours and after 2pm. Zubeida Bibi, a voter in Lahore Cantt’s Ward 4, said she had found it more convenient to cast her vote after 2pm. Bibi had arrived at the polling station with several women from her family. The women said they had come to cast their votes after finishing household chores.

Political parties and independent candidates vying for votes in the elections had set up campaign offices in central markets and on thoroughfares in the vicinity of poling stations. This had been done to make it easier for voters find relevant polling stations and facilitate voting.

Voting at most polling stations began on-time. The process was not extended beyond 5pm despite being delayed by less than an hour at some polling stations. Those on the premises by 5pm were allowed to cast their ballots while those who reached polling stations later were turned back.

Lahore Cantt’s Ward 6 exemplified the lack of interest in the elections. Although the locality had over 300,000 registered voters, campaign officers from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz observed that the turnout hovered between 35 and 38 per cent.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2015.