Polling results: Independents bag Faisalabad

Former mayor Malik Muhammad who was contesting elections from the Mayor Group lost to Amin Butt fielded by Sana Ullah

FAISALABAD:

Several major players in Faisalabad politics faced a surprising defeat in the local government elections on Saturday. No one political group has gained a majority and most of the seats have been swept by independent candidates.

Of the 346 seats in Faisalabad district, 166 seats went to independents, followed by the PML-N which won 134 seats, the PTI bagged 36 seats and the PPP four. Elections were postponed for three union councils and the results of three seats have not been announced.

Of 157 union councils in the municipal corporation, results of 155 have been announced. The PML-N has bagged 70 seats followed by 67 independents and 18 PTI candidates.

The most discussed candidate for the municipal corporation mayorship Amir Sher Ali, the elder brother of Abid Sher Ali, who was contesting from UC-116 lost to Ashiq Rehmani, an independent candidate fielded by Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan’s group. Aamir Sher Ali was considered a contender for mayor-ship of the municipal corporation. Another surprise was from UC 145 where Sana Ullah’s favourite for mayorship of municipal corporation, Malik Riaz, the younger brother of MPA Malik Muhammad Nawaz, lost to Advocate Malik Sajid Sohail, who was fielded by Chaudhry Sher Ali’s Mayor Group with the Balti (bucket) symbol.

Malik Sajid Sohail had also been supported by the PTI and the Jamaat-i-Islami. Former mayor Malik Muhammad Ashraf who was contesting elections from the Mayor Group lost to Amin Butt fielded by Sana Ullah. Malik Ashraf has previously won six elections and is a local government veteran. In UC-57, Shehzad Muazzam, younger brother of PTI City Organiser Asad Muazzam, lost to PML-N candidate Rana Asrar Ahmad Khan. Muazzam was hoping to contest the election from PTI for mayorship.

Mumtaz Cheema, a PTI candidate who was vying for mayorship of Faisalabad City, managed to defeat PML-N’s Mian Aamir Iqbal from UC 77. Cheema was city nazim of the municipal corporation in 2002. Ali Hassan Dogar, son of MPA Faqir Hussain Dogar, lost. Rana Zahid Tauseef, a district council chairman hopeful from the PTI, who has been elected MNA thrice and district council nazim before, lost to PML-N’s Tariq Randhawa, a new entrant in politics.

In Union Council 145, an uncle and a nephew were pitted against each other. Mian Khalid Mehmood is uncle of Mian Qasim Farooq who is the son of MNA Mian Muhammad Farooq. Qasim Farooq was also Faisalabad District PML-N president. His family has been active politically since 1979.

Mian Farooq first won the local government election in 1979 when he became a member of the district council. He continued to sit on the council in 1979, 1983 and 1987 and became an MPA in 1985, 1988, 1990 and an MNA in 1993, 1997 and 2013. His son Muazzam Farooq was elected Faisalabad district council chairman in 1990.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2015.