The three national assembly and seven provincial assembly seats of Dera Ghazi Khan district have generally been contested over historically by the Legharis of Choti Zaireen, the Khosas of Bahadurgarh, the Buzdars of Barthi, the Lounds of Shadan Lound and the Qaisranis of Taunsa Sharif. Contestants from these families are once again in the race, though there is a smattering of new faces. In NA-171, the winner from the 2008 elections, Khwaja Sheraz, recently shifted from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid to the Pakistan Peoples Party. He will square off again with Amjad Khosa of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, who lost the last polls by a narrow margin. Meanwhile former MPA from PP-240, Mir Badshah Qaisrani, has left the PML-N and is now in the run for this national assemby seat as the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) nominee, while former district president of the PPP Khwaja Mudassir is now contesting on a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ticket.

Mir Badshah Qaisrani was desirous of the PPP ticket on NA-171 and his wife Shamona Qaisrani wanted the party’s nomination from PP-240. The party denied the ticket to Badshah Qaisrani, worried no doubt about a court case he is facing over an allegedly fake academic degree, but was ready to have Shamona. This was rejected by Mr Qaisrani, and he is now a JUI-F candidate for both NA-171 and PP-240. His rivals over the provincial seat are Iqbal Qaisrani (PTI), Khwaja Dawood (independent, with PPP support) and Imam Bukhsh Qaisrani (PML-N).

In PP-241, former tehsil nazim Usman Buzdar, son of former MPA Fateh Mohammed Buzdar, is contesting on a PML-N ticket. He is facing Khwaja Nizam-ul-Mehmood, the runner-up in the last general elections on a Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal ticket, and now a PPP nominee. The chief of the Malghani clan, Akram Khan Malghani, now sports the JUI-F colours.

In PP-242, it is the Khosas taking on one another: brothers Irfanullah Khosa of the PPP and Mohsin Khosa of the PML-N. Javed Akhtar Lound of the Leghari group is contesting as an independent candidate.

NA-172 falls in the Leghari-dominated area, including Dera Ghazi Khan city. For a long time, Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari was unbeatable here but the entrance of cleric Dr Hafiz Abdul Kareem in 2008 threw Farooq Leghari into difficulties. In the end, Mr Leghari was declared the winner by a court order.

This time, Jamal Leghari — who became the 27th chief of his tribe after the demise of Farooq Leghari in 2010 — will contest as an independent against his uncle Maqsood Leghari of the PML-Q. New entrant Zartaj Gul Akhund of the PTI and the PML-N’s Dr Hafiz Abdul Kareem may also prove to be strong contenders.

Mr Leghari’s younger brother, Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, who won the by-election in NA-172 against the PML-N’s Dr Hafiz Abdul Kareem after the death of Farooq Leghari is to contest from NA-173.

Of the two provincial assembly seats that fall under NA-172, in PP-243 Senator Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa of the PML-N is the man to beat, while Ahmed Ali Darishak will try his luck on a PTI ticket and Awais Leghari as an independent candidate. The PPP has given its ticket to Saifuddin Khosa, son of Zulfiqar Ali Khosa.

In PP-244, Shibly Shabkhaiz of the PPP, Aleem Shah of the Leghari group, Shaikh Usman Farooq of the Jamaat-i-Islami, and new entrants Humayun Raza Akhund of the PTI and Naheed Khalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement are in the run. Former MPA Dost Muhammad Khosa could not get the PML-N ticket here due to strained relations with the party leadership; the ticket was awarded to his elder brother Hassamuddin.

In NA-173 Saifuddin Khosa, who won on a PML-N ticket in 2008, now carries the PPP flag and takes on Awais Ahmed Leghari. In the last elections, Mr Khosa was defeated by Mr Leghari by fewer than 400 votes, and a tense battle is again on the cards.

PP-245 covers the native Leghari areas. Jamal Leghari, his cousin Mohammed Khan Leghari (son of Maqsood Leghari) and former union nazim Zeeshan Leghari of the PML-N are in the run.

In PP-246, a tight contest is expected between retired Major Rashid Kamran Malana of the PPP and Mehmood Qadir Leghari (Leghari group). The PML-N has given its ticket to an old party worker, Ishfaq Leghari. Yousuf Leghari of the Leghari group who won the seat in 2008 is not contesting because of the issue of dual nationality.