FAISALABAD: The PML-N has not fielded any candidate for PP-70, a constituency of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, due to his differences with Abid Sher Ali.

PML-N workers are in the run for the chairman and vice chairman slots of city councils on diamond and bucket symbols instead of lion. The aspirants backed by State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali are contesting on bucket symbol and the Rana Sana group has fielded candidates with a diamond symbol.

Abid Sher was elected MNA from NA-84 and Rana Sana become an MPA from its allied constituency PP-70 which has 20 city councils --101 to 120.

Sources said the PML-N leaders kept trying to convince both ministers to shun their differences and field joint candidates but in vain. Eventually, it has not issued party ticket to any candidate and declared the entire constituency PP-70 open.

Both groups have fielded their candidates who will fight each other, allowing the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to enthusiastically work in this constituency. Abid Sher’s elder brother Aamir Sher Ali, former mayor, is also contesting for CC-116, a native constituency, on the bucket symbol. For mayor, the Rana Sana group has fielded Ashiq Rehmani against Aamir Sher Ali.

Chaudhry Sher Ali, a former mayor and father of Abid Sher Ali, is heading the group. MPA Khwaja Muhammad Islam, once close associate of Rana Sana, is also on the frontline.

Both are trying their best for the group’s success in 157 city councils whose people will cast their vote for mayor and deputy mayor.

Khwaja Islam was elected MPA in PP-72 but was disqualified by the Supreme Court because of fake degree.

The PML-N leaders gave ticket to Khwaja Liaquat (late), brother of Khwaja Islam for by-election but he was defeated by PTI’s Khurram Shahzad.

Rana Sana has started addressing public gatherings in his constituency but Abid Sher is waiting for the ‘ripe time’.

The PML-N workers and supporters are not happy with the situation. Sajid Ali said it’s regrettable that both ministers represented the PML-N at the national and provincial level but were not ready to do the same at local level. He said the rival party workers often taunted the ruling party for not being able to field any candidate in the constituency.

PTI Deputy Information Secretary Farrukh Habib, who contested against Abid Sher in the last general elections, told Dawn that his party would contest for the wellbeing of the masses and the PML-N leaders were fighting against each other for satisfaction of their egos. He said the PML-N had not fielded any candidate in PP-70 which clearly indicated that it had no control in grassroots politics.

The PTI, he said, had issued 18 out of 20 CC (PP-70) tickets and kept two constituencies open where “we would support independent candidates.”

He demanded that the Election Commission must focus on these constituencies and deploy army at each polling station.

The PPP doesn’t seem to be in a position to get any kind of advantage from the differences within the PML-N. Two candidates in the run claim they they are backed by the PPP.

A PPP activist, Ghulam Abbas, however said the PPP was going to stage a comeback after co-chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would mobilise people in future.

Published in Dawn, October 8th , 2015

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