The last round of the battle has begun in Chakwal as elsewhere but the heat of electioneering here is probably matchless as the Sardars of the king’s party are in real desperation to somehow beat Ayaz Amir who seems to enjoy popular support. The Q-League is leaving no stone unturned but all they have is their resources, their candidate being the real brother of the district nazim. If they lose here it seems they lose everywhere closing the doors of the prime minister’s house in Islamabad on the Chaudhrys.

The Sardars are in no mood to give in to Ayaz Amir. They have turned the city into a bawdy spectacle of their posters, banners, portraits and party flags. They have certainly outmatched their gutsy opponent by their intensive campaigning. They have hardly left any space for anybody to hoist his flag or banner. They have covered all the important posts with their life-sized portraits. The air is rife with their boasts of what they have done during their five year rule.

They have even targeted schoolchildren who carry their flags for toffees and toys. They have also pooled in a lot of money to win this election that, they fear, may become their Waterloo. They are not wasting any time and visiting everyone who can fetch them some votes. They are going in accordance with a plan. They daily discuss their strategy and assign responsibilities to their trusted lieutenants to target certain families. They daily exchange the notes and get the reports. They demand tangible results from the Councillors and Union Council Nazims who are their linchpins.

PML-N seems to be riding very high especially since Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the city a couple of days ago. It has certainly boosted the chances of the party in Chakwal. A fairly large turn out that day has filled PML-N camps with optimism. Nawaz Sharif pulled a crowd beyond all estimates causing tremors in the camp of PML-Q. Ayaz Amir looks like the favourite with the rising surge against the ‘King’s party’. The PML-N supporters want to defeat all those elements who had betrayed Nawaz Sharif in difficult times. Ayaz Amir is also fortunate enough to win the backing of Lt-Gen Majeed Malik (retd), the seasoned campaigner who is trying to settle his own scores with the Sardars by making them taste defeat. He can be even with them only if he manages to bring them down the way they had done him in.

The prolonged loadshedding of electricity and the unprecedented price hike are also helping the PML-N candidate. The people, generally, seem to be furious with PML-Q as they hold it responsible for all of their woes. The silent voters appear to be all set to stamp the ‘Lion’. All these factors put together give an edge to PML-N in this constituency.

PPP does not appear to be in the race at all. It is not likely to garner much despite the much-trumpeted sympathy wave. Fauzia Behram has lost much ground since she parted ways with PML. She does not enjoy any personal clout in the constituency. She is not likely to give any surprise. She needs a miracle to win but one must remember that miracles do not happen for PPP in Pakistan.

A tough fight is expected in both the Provincial Assembly constituencies (PP-20 and PP-21). Begum Iffat Liaqat, the PML-N candidate for PP-20 is giving a tough time to Ijaz Farhat of PML- Q. Chaudhry Liaqat, the former MPA is busy re-establishing himself through his wife. He is spending a lot to create an impression that he is quite close to Nawaz Sharif because he knows that it can make a huge impact in this constituency. He enjoys a good position in the city but Ijaz Farhat of PML-Q and Shahjahan Sarfraz of PPP look like having an edge over his wife.

Ijaz Farhat’s position has experienced a downslide especially since Syed Aal-i-Imran Kazmi, an independent candidate has raised some serious doubts about his graduation degree. It is likely to benefit Shahjahan Sarfraz of PPP whose family enjoys support in the rural areas. He is likely to cash in at the expense of Ijaz Farhat. It appears to be anybody’s constituency. The guessing game is on and nobody is ready to bet his money on anyone of the contenders.

Malik Tanvir Aslam Sethy, the PML-N candidate is having an upper edge in PP-21. He enjoys a good reputation in the constituency. His family has been in politics for quite some time. His father has his personal vote bank as he commands great respect throughout the Wanhar region. He enjoys the reputation of not letting his friends down even if it means a huge personal loss. They have been luckily accepted back into the PML-N fold that has further improved Tanvir Aslam’s chances. It does not mean that he is going to get a walk-over.

Pir Shaukat of Karulli, the PML-Q candidate is in the race and he means business. His graph is constantly on the rise but he has to cover a fairly large ground. He is quite good at manoeuvring but he does not have as strong roots among the public as his rival has. Moreover, he is receiving serious dents in his own area where Maha Tareen Raja of PPP is gaining ground because of the politicking of her worthy father who in his own time was known for the art of convincing people.

It is yet to be seen how much Raja Munawar’s art damages Pir Shaukat because it is not likely to help the cause of his daughter who has perhaps not read the pulse of the voters of this area correctly before joining PPP.