LAHORE, Feb 14: Electioneering for by-polls in NA-127 is gaining momentum as both the PML and the PML-N are predicting win for their respective nominees.
Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief Dr Tahirul Qadri had bagged over 24,000 out of around 236,000 ballots to make it to the National Assembly in October 2002 general elections. He, however, resigned in November 2004 to protest, what he said, the passage of the dual office bill by the parliament.
Even the recent wet spell has failed to check election campaign in the constituency consisting of slums and backward localities of the city, including Township, Green Town, Kot Lakhpat, Liaquatabad, Bihar Colony, Maryam Colony, Sitara Colony, Qainchi Amar Sadhu, Pindi Rajputan, Bagarian, Keer Kalan, Gawala Colony, Gujjar Colony, Dheet and Rakh Chand Rai.
The area, dwelled by mostly migrants to the city from other parts of the province, is facing multiple social and civic problems. A good majority of the people belongs to the rural areas who have come to the city in search of jobs or better education for their children.
It is the only constituency of Lahore where no state-run girls college is located. People complain of increasing air and water pollution due to release of effluents by factories in the big Kot Lakhpat industrial estate.
It is also devoid of civic amenities like gas, roads and proper sewerage, and the parks specified in the housing schemes, both public and private sector, are lying barren for want of maintenance.
The residents of Township and Green Town are also desperately looking towards the Lahore Development Authority for grant of ownership rights. The biggest township in Asia had been developed back in the Ayub era with the help of international donor agencies.
Unemployment in the area is on the rise as most of the people belong to the working classes, employed in the Kot Lakhpat industries, and have neither influence nor money to get jobs for their younger generations or adjust them in businesses.
Arain, Jat, Gujjar, Sheikh, Joiya and Bhatti castes dominate the constituency but do not play as visible and effective role in politics as is evident in some other constituencies of the city. There is also a 27,000-strong Christian vote bank, mostly located in Maryam Colony and Bagarian area.
The PML has fielded district Naib Nazim Farooq Amjad Mir, while Advocate Naseer Ahmad Bhutta is the nominee of the PML-N. Seasoned politician Senator Kamil Ali Agha, as the campaign in-charge, along with the Punjab information minister and a big name in land business, Abdul Aleem Khan, Mian Amer, MPA Anjum Amjad and town Nazim Rafiq Hasrat along with other ministers is busy in devising election strategy for the Mir.
Mr Agha has also activated former public representatives like Mian Fazle Haq, Arshad Imran Sulehri, Anwar Toor, Nasrullah Mughal and Asif Jat. The PML is using development projects while focussing on door-to-door campaign to woo voters. Over a dozen corner meetings are being held daily.
The senator claims that women voters in large numbers are attending their corner meetings, partly due to influence of the ruling party's women wing and partly for seeking support in the forthcoming local government polls.
"It is the first election being contested as the party, the Muslim League," he says of the environment prevailing in the PML's camp. To give a boost to the Mir's campaign, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and other party leaders will address a big public meeting in the last week before polls.
The CM has earlier opened the electioneering by inaugurating a camp office on the Peco Road. Mr Bhutta, who had stood third in this constituency in the last general elections, is joint candidate of the PML-N, the PPP and the MMA this time.
MMA MPA from PP-152 Ehsanullah Waqas is especially working hard for him. Out of 105 councillors from the area's 13 union councils, about 65 had succeeded with the backing of the PPP.
The media team of the opposition's candidate is more active as it is getting better coverage in the popular press for Mr Bhutta. Half a dozen corner meetings are being held daily by him.
The PML-N is planning to organize a couple of large public meetings which would be addressed by ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad and PML-N chief Raja Zafarul Haq during the last week of electioneering.
MNAs Pervaiz Malik, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as well as MPAs from other city constituencies and other leaders are devoting time for Mr Bhutta. Interestingly some people are even giving donations, in cash or in the form of posters and banners, to the opposition nominee.
Khwaja Ahmad Tariq Rahim has donated 5,000 banners. Another PPP leader has sent 25,000 posters carrying image of Naseer Bhutta with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
PPP secretary-general Jehangir Badar has offered to spare time daily as and when required by the campaigners in the constituency. His supporters claim that masses will vote for him ignoring all development works being executed by the government to win them for Mr Mir.
