LAHORE, Oct 9: The authorities and candidates made last-minute preparations on Wednesday, infusing life into electioneering which had hitherto lacked enthusiasm.

The preparations injected the missing colours into the election process, creating a feeling that some national event was, indeed, taking place.

There was brisk activity in and outside the offices of returning officers at sessions courts. The streets, decorated with banners, posters and flags, wore a festive look. Offices of candidates were visited by their supporters.

Public transport vehicles acquired by the government for election duty were parked in front of the sessions courts, which hampered the smooth flow of traffic but at the same time reminded the people of elections.

Candidates, too, concentrated on acquiring vehicles for carrying their voters to the polling stations on Thursday. Their workers were busy pasting posters and putting up banners on long queues of hired vehicles.

Besides wagons and mini-buses, cabs were also hired in large numbers and not many were there on the roads on Wednesday.

Mobile telephones were another sought after item. Hundreds were acquired by newspapers, government officials and candidates for better communications on the election day.

Tents and chairs were hired in large numbers for the candidates’ camps outside every polling station. This enlivened the tent business, which had been affected by the ban on serving food at weddings.

Orders were placed for food for the polling agents and those responsible for carrying voters to the polling stations.

Workers also dropped vote-numbers in peoples’ houses as part of a last-minute door-to-door canvassing.

At election offices, teams of workers marked the potential voters and made plans to carry them to polling stations. Visitors were provided tea and soft drinks.

Guesses and bets were made about the election results.

All government offices, schools, colleges, and banks will remain closed on Thursday, which has been declared a public holiday.

Elections in Lahore will be monitored by teams of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the European Union.