SETTLED in a chair at his central election office in his hometown Wasawaywala, Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, in his 70s, shows signs of stress and tiredness even though electioneering has yet to pick up.

There is a lot of indecision on the part of political parties as they try to pick the best from amongst many aspirants in Punjab.

This is National Assembly constituency NA-144, which Manzoor Wattoo considers his family seat. He himself is not taking part in the polls from the platform of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), of which he is the central vice president. He fancies contesting as an independent “under pressure from his electorate”.

The former twice-elected chief minister, who claims to have more accomplishments to his credit than either Shahbaz Sharif or Pervaiz Elahi during their terms, had joined the PPP after he and his family won five seats (two of the National and three of the Punjab Assembly’s) as independents in the 2008 elections.

This time his two sons, two daughters and he himself have filed nominations for two National (NA-143 and 144) and four provincial constituencies (PP-184, 185, 186 and 187).

Between hosting notables from the constituency and having a group photo with them, Mr Wattoo hints that the family may use candidatures against multiple seats as leverage for local electoral adjustments. This was on Tuesday (June 26). Two days later reports came that one of his sons and a daughter have been “able” to win over the PTI.

Candidacy doubts

The usual fervour is missing in Okara, even though elections are just four weeks away. There are hardly any billboards, banners or party flags in a district which has four seats in the National Assembly and eight in the Punjab legislature.

Locals blame the unusual delay by major parties in finalising their candidates for the lacklustre show.

“There’s confusion about tickets. If one candidate announces in the morning that he has been awarded ticket for a constituency, we hear in the evening that the same has been cancelled,” says Hashmat Lodhi, a journalist now leading a retired life in Okara.

The situation is more problematic for 40 per cent new faces in the electoral race and more noticeable in the PTI camp. The PPP had not agreed upon a single candidate till Tuesday.

The list of candidates the PPP issued on Wednesday revealed that Shehzad Naul will be contesting from NA-144, the seat Mr Wattoo is in the run for. The party has refused to support him as an independent. “The chairman (Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari) has made it clear that we’ll own only those who’re contesting under the party’s symbol ,” says Malik Osman, Punjab PPP’s deputy general secretary. “I’m trying to build the party and not make a government,” he quoted the party chief as telling elements unwilling to contest on the PPP ticket.

There’s confusion about tickets. If one candidate announces in the morning that he has been awarded ticket for a constituency, we hear in the evening that the same has been cancelled.Hashmat Lodhi, a journalist

Malik Osman claimed that since there were reports that the Wattoo family was in touch with rival parties for tickets, there was no question of leaving the seat open. The report turned out to be true when it was announced on Thursday that Khurram and Rubina Shaheen, son and daughter of Mr Wattoo, had been granted PTI tickets for PP-185 and 186 respectively.

The PTI has not put up any candidate against Mr Wattoo in NA-144 and in return the family has agreed to support the PTI nominees in NA-143 and other constituencies in the district. Since the PPP could not find a hopeful for PP-185, it left the seat open, while for PP-186 it has fielded a little-known Sanaullah.

The PTI had given the go-ahead to former MPA Masood Shafqat Ranbera, a cousin of PML-N nominee Nadeem Abbas Ranbera, for NA-141 (Okara-I), but 20 days ago a former minister of state for information, Syed Samsam Bukhari, was told to start electioneering as the party’s candidate, pointed out Hashmat Lodhi, the retired journalist.

Mr Samsam had to rush to Islamabad a couple of days ago after reports started circulating that his candidacy had been suspended and the party high-ups were having second thoughts about the constituency. Barring a handful of “unenthusiastic” but humble disciples, no political worker was present at the main election office when this reporter went there on Tuesday.

“While the boss is away in Lahore, these people have come out of reverence for the Pir Sahib to keep a tradition alive and not for political campaign purposes,” said Zeeshan Ali, the man in charge, while trying to explain the absence of enthusiasm among those in attendance.

Mr Bukhari, who is the sajjada nasheen of spiritual seat Karmanwalay, told Dawn by phone while on way to Okara from Islamabad that electioneering had not gained momentum because of uncertainty about candidacy.

“The election campaign will pick up in a couple of days after allotment of party symbols to candidates by the Election Commission on June 30 (today).”

He feels that parties should finalise their candidates three months before elections, but adds in a lighter vein that the shorter the electioneering the better for candidates as they will have to bear smaller expenses.

In another development, PML-N nominee for PP-184 and former Punjab minister Raza Ali Gilani has declared that he will fight against the party’s candidate in NA-143, Rao Ajmal, as an independent.

Nawaz factor

There were conflicting views about whether Nawaz Sharif’s absence from the PML-N campaign will damage its prospects or not.

Most political pundits believe that the party will miss both Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam in the electioneering. “The N League will suffer at least 10 per cent drop in its vote bank if the duo does not join the campaign,” said Asad Hameed, a lawyer.

His views were endorsed by Sultan Ali, who deals in petroleum products.

Supporters of the PML-N candidate, however, are wary of the Nawaz factor. “His criticism of state institutions and suspicions that he tried to change wording of the affidavit pertaining to the finality of Prophethood may hurt the party’s popularity graph,” a supporter said at the election office of the PML-N nominee for NA-142 (Okara-II), Riazul Haq Juj.

He advised PML-N leaders to refrain from criticism of state institutions.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2018