TAXILA, May 2: NA-59 (Hassanabdal-Fatehjang) is expected to become the electoral battlefield between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Major Group, making it highly likely that the former ruling party would put extra efforts for a showdown with their arch rival on May 11.

Sardar Saleem Haider from the PPP and Zain Elahi, son of former district nazim Major Tahir Sadiq (Retired), are locked in an intense electoral battle to clinch NA-59.

This constituency is a mix of rural and urban areas. The urban areas include Hassanabdal, Sanjwal Cantt and Fateh Jang, while rural areas include Akhori, Langar, Bahtar, Kot Fateh Khan and Burhan. According to the Election Commission, the total population of the constituency is 350,112, with 236,121 voters comprised of 123,818 male and 112,303 female voters.

The independent group led by Tahir Sadiq (Major Group) is represented by former Pakistan Muslim League-Q members who had opted to contest the elections on an independent platform for the national and provincial assembly seats from this constituency.

Major Tahir Sadiq is the brother-in-law of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and has considerable clout in the local political arena.

In the 2008 elections, the PPP won the seat after its candidate, Sardar Saleem Haider, won 71,400 votes, while the PML-Q’s Waseem Gulzar (son-in-law of Tahir Sadiq) was runner-up with 58,880 votes and PML-N’s Asif Ali Malik secured 23,640 votes.

In the 2002 general elections, Mrs Eman Wasim (daughter of Tahir Sadiq) won the seat from PML-Q ticket, while PPP’s Sikandar Hayat was runner-up with 41,674. Later she vacated the seat for Shaukat Aziz, who won it to become the Prime Minister.

Thus the strength of the Major Group cannot be denied and this group can play a significant role in the 2013 elections.

Political observers believe the local biraderi (clan) system will play a pivotal role in the politics of the area and heavyweights with strong public roots will be favourable in the constituency.

Sardar Mohammad Ali Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is not very strong in NA 59. Malik Aurangzeb Awan (Independent) and Mufti Taj-ud-Din Rabani (Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-F) would also contest with their personal and ideological vote banks.

The PML-N candidate, Asif Ali Malik, is the brother-in-law of PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar and had won the provincial seat once (in 1993) but does not belong to the influential class of the area. This constituency encompasses the Fatehjang area which is considered a PPP stronghold. PML-N is striving hard to gain influence, but the situation does not seem favorable for it.

Talking to this reporter, some old loyalists of the PML-N gave depressing signals of what they described as a visible split in their vote bank. The split began in party ranks in Hassanabdal due to the conflict of opinions prevailing in the higher echelons of the PML-N over the awarding of party tickets.