GUJRAT, Nov 11: Local cadres of the PML-N are divided ahead of the local government elections, as some groups are not prepared for party-based polls, while other legislators and groups belonging to Gujrat are all set to field candidates against each other in rural union councils and municipalities of various towns.

Only in NA-104 the party’s MNA did not have differences with the two MPAs falling under his constituency.

Sources in the PML-N said the senior leadership was well aware of the situation but did not feel the need to bother about it. It was an open secret in local political circles that two dominating leaders of PML-N from NA-105, former MNA Chaudhry Mubashar Hussain and disqualified lawmaker from Gujrat city Haji Nasir Mehmood had serious differences.

Another local party group was trying to field its own candidates on Gujrat city municipal committee’s 50 wards.

Moreover, a cold war between MNA Jaafar Iqbal from NA-106 and MPA Mian Tariq Mehmood of Dinga reflected in the short-listing of candidates for PP-113 Dinga as both belonged to the same constituency.

The situation seemed worse in NA-107 where MNA Abid Raza and MPA Hanif Awan were planning to nominate their own panels against each other’s nominees.

Some people in the PML-N were even in touch with rival political parties to either extend or seek cooperation for their respective candidates.

The PML-N that did not have candidates to field in union councils in the two previous LG elections held in the district in 2001 and 2005 this time had a good number of serious candidates for the Gujrat district council chairmanship, which had been held by the PML-Q-backed Shujaat group since 1983. The Nawabzada group that would traditionally contest for the slot even before the creation of Pakistan considered itself a frontrunner this time also.

The Nawabzada group had switched loyalties to the PML-N after defecting from the PPP around a year ago. But this time another party loyalist Tanveer Gondal from NA-104, constituency of the Nawabzadas, had come forward to contest the district council chairman elections.

Sources close to Gondal said he had ‘blessings’ of senior party leadership. MPA Hanif Awan, the PML-N’s district president since 1999, had also expressed willingness to field his nephew Malik Ali Asghar for the slot.

The Kotla group was also not far behind. Reliable sources told Dawn that MNA Abid Raza Kotla, whose brother Shabeer Raza was an MPA, had fielded two more of his brothers for the top slots of union councils of Kotla and Mararian. The group wanted to nominate one of these two for the slot of the district council chairmanship.

Commenting on the situation, a senior party leader from Gujrat said such serious differences could cost the party heavily and favour the PML-Q that was all set to forge an alliance with other opposition parties.

He said a committee must be formed to steer the party out of these differences before going into the polls otherwise the situation could prove disastrous.

District PML-N President Hanif Awan while talking to Dawn said the party would nominate its candidates on all seats of the district. This would be done through a committee that would be constituted by the party leadership. However, he said, no such committee had yet been formed.