SWABI: Leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Jamaat-i-Islami, two major parties of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, would field consensus candidates in the district for two seats of the National Assembly and five seats of provincial assembly in the upcoming general elections.

Sources in the two parties told this correspondent here on Saturday that a meeting of leaders of the two parties in this connection would be held soon. However, they said that it was expected that JUI-F would demand the lion’s share of tickets for various seats.

In 2002 elections, the constituencies were divided among the JI, JUI-F and JUI-S, but the latter is not part of the newly-revived religious parties’ alliances and all the seats would be divided this time between the two parties because the other alliance partners did not have any political influence in the district.

MMA set to field consensus candidates for 2 NA, 5 PA seats

However, observers here said that both the parties would need more work to reach out to voters and win seats in the district. In 2008 and 2013 elections, none of the religious parties’ candidates had won from any constituency of the district.

It was expected that JUI-F would demand tickets for three of the five provincial assembly seats and one for one of the two National Assembly constituencies. A JUI-F leader said that keeping their party’s position in view they would demand more constituencies than given to them in the past as part of MMA.

Maulana Fazal Ali, central deputy chief of JUI-F recalled that they had won from both the National Assembly seats and two provincial assembly seats of the district in the past. Mr Ali, who remained education minister in the previous MMA government, said that he would like to contest election from NA-18, Swabi-I.

However, sources in JUI-F said that Maulana Attaul Haq Darvaish, party’s district chief also wanted to contest election from the same constituency. Darvaish had contested election twice from then NA-13 and Mr Ali three times from then PK-35.

The sources said that NA-19, Swabi-II, ticket was expected to go to JI and its district chief Mehmoodul Hassan was a strong contender for that. Meanwhile, Maulana Khalil Ahmad, central chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Nazriyati (JUI-N) said on Saturday that he would contest election from both NA-18 and PK-43, Swabi-1.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2018