JHANG, Aug 15: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), the two major opposition parties, have just about no candidate to field in any of the six constituencies of the district.

Both these parties face the ominous and embarrassing prospect of waiting for the rejected stuff after the display of the final list of candidates by the ruling PML and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The PML-N and component parties of the MMA, chiefly the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), have strong organisational set-up and a reasonable electoral background in the district. The PML-N had to its credit all the five national assembly seats in the 1997 general elections.

It did not perform well during the 2002 general elections as some of its parliamentarians had shifted their loyalties to the pro-establishment PML. While the rest were disqualified for being undergraduates.

Similarly, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), another component party of the MMA, had made a clean sweep during the 1970 general elections, bagging all the three NA seats in the district.

In the subsequent elections, particularly after the emergence of the now defunct Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) in 1985, the party could not perform well on account of the sectarian strife in the district.

However, both the JI and the JUP have kept their organizational set-up intact. Office-bearers and workers of MMA took active part in the recent movement launched by lawyers, lending credence to the political existence of MMA in the district.

Office-bearers of both PML-N and MMA at the district level and their provincial and central leaders have been persuading political stalwarts and potential candidates to contest elections from their parties.

As of now only a couple of candidates have consented to contest the provincial assembly election while nobody has accepted their offer to contest elections from any of the NA seats.

Strong candidates have their own priorities and they prefer to contest election on the ticket of a political party, whose chances to win the elections and form the government is bright.

Since the ruling PML has made it clear to award tickets mostly to the incumbent MNAs and MPAs, the remaining lot of strong candidates are giving preference to the PPP, firstly due to the presence of a large PPP vote bank in all constituencies and secondly due to the impression that PPP is the most likely party to form the government, either on its own or in coalition with the ruling PML.

The NA-86 consists of Chiniot municipality and its rural areas and the ruling PML will certainly award the ticket to its MNA from Sargodha, Muhammad Tahir Shah.

The PPP had received six applications from this constituency, including one from former MNA Amir Hussain Syed, but the ticket has been awarded to Syed Anayat Ali Shah, on the recommendation of their district president Qazi Ali Hassan. The MMA has no potential aspirant despite the presence of a sizable vote bank in the city.

The PML-N, too, will either have to make a request to Qaiser A Sheikh to accept its ticket or to look for any of the PPP-rejected applicant.

The NA-87, comprising Bhowana town and Mochiwala rural constituency, has three PPP ticket aspirants - Abida Hussain’s MPA daughter Sughra Imam, Faisal Saleh’s former MNA brother Asad Hayat and former PML MNA Maulana Rehmatullah to challenge the ascendancy of Minister of State Ghulam Bibi Bharwana. Maulana Rehmatullah could opt either for the PML-N or MMA if refused a PPP ticket. Presently, both parties are without a single applicant.

The NA-88, consisting of Shahjewna, Lialian and Chenabnagar constituency, is all set to witness a clash of titans, involving two stalwarts of the national politics - Abida Hussain and Faisal Saleh Hayat on PPP and PML tickets, respectively. No other political party has any candidate from this constituency.

In NA-89, comprising Jhang city and Saddar areas, the PPP will award the ticket to its only applicant Dr Abul Hassan to contest elections against PML’s parliamentary secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram.

Another strong candidate from this constituency is Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi of the Millat-i-Islamia Party. Both PML-N and MMA have no potential candidate from this constituency as well.

The NA-90 consists of Shorkot tehsil and some parts of Jhang tehsil. A tug of war is going on between Sahibzada Nazir Sultan and Saima Akhtar Bharwana (MNA) to grab the PML ticket.

Tehsil Nazim Madhu Lal Hussain has applied for a PPP ticket. If Nazir Sultan gets the ruling party ticket, Saima will likely to switch over to the PPP.

The NA-91 comprises Ahmedpur Sial tehsil and 18 Hazari area of Jhang tehsil. Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan and Rana Ataullah have been awarded the PML and PPP tickets, respectively. The PML-N and MMA are still looking for an applicant from both NA-90 and NA-91 constituencies.