QUETTA: A tug of war has begun between political parties and groups for mustering support of independent councillors for the election of mayor and deputy mayor of the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC).

Independent candidates won 21 of the 58 seats of Quetta in the party-based local government elections on Dec 7. The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) bagged 18 seats while its coalition partners in the Balochistan government PML-N and National Party won five and two, respectively.

The Balochistan National Party-Mengal, PTI and Hazara Democratic Party won three seats each while JUI-F, JUI-I and Wahdatul Muslimeen one each.

Soon after the announcement of official results, political parties and groups of independent candidates started lobbying for the top slots in the QMC, municipal corporations, town committees and union councils.

Both PMAP and PML-N claim they have support of independents and other parties’ councillors for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. Leaders of the two parties are holding meetings with independent councillors and groups almost every day. The PkMAP has succeeded in mustering the support of at least five independent councillors. One of them has already joined the party.

Sources said independent councillors were asking the parties and groups at meetings about the benefit of supporting their candidates.

A leader of a political party who was part of the party’s delegation holding negotiations with independent councillors also confirmed to Dawn that they were talking about benefit for supporting its candidates.

Political observers are predicting a close contest for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor between the two coalition partners -- PkMAP and PML-N.

The third coalition partner, the National Party, is in a fix as both the PkMAP and PML-N want its support.

Some observers are of the opinion that the issue may be referred to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif who had given the posts of governor and chief minister to the PkMAP and the National Party, respectively, despite his party’s majority in the province.

“Mian Sahib may ask both the coalition partners to support the PML-N candidate for the post of mayor,” a PML-N leader said, adding that its provincial leaders had already made this demand.

A spokesman for the PML-N said the party had sacrificed the posts of governor and chief minister despite having a majority in the Balochistan assembly and now the PkMAP and the National Party should support the PML-N candidate for the Quetta mayorship.

PML-N Balochistan president Sardar Sanaullah Zehri said the party would not withdraw from its decision to nominate its candidates for the slots of mayor and deputy mayor. “Morally, our friends in the ruling coalition should support the PML-N candidates,” he said.

On the other hand, the PkMAP leadership is stick to its decision of contesting for the post of mayor and not withdrawing its candidate.

Although the two parties have yet to finalise their candidates, the names of Usman Kakar of the PkMAP and former nazim Rahim Kakar of the PML-N are doing rounds.

The All Parties Democratic Alliance comprising councillors from the BNP-M, HDP, JUI-F, JUI-N and PTI also has great importance in the election of mayor and the PkMAP and PML-N are trying to get its support.

The election for mayor and deputy mayor will be held after the election of seats reserved for women, labourers, formers and minorities. The councillors elected on reserved seats could also contest for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor, Syed Sultan Bayazeed, the provincial election commissioner, said.