December 08, 2007	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 27, 1428

FAISALABAD, Dec 7: As the jungle is being cleared ahead of the general election, many an old bird is making frantic efforts to strengthen its nest on a new branch in this neck of the wood.

Faisalabad — a textile capital of the country — has 11 national and 22 provincial assembly seats. The NA seats range from 75 to 85 and the Punjab assembly’s from 51 to 72 according to a serial.

The political powers-that-be –- the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party –- are boasting of having a mix of old candidates and newcomers, with scores of them switching their loyalties.

Prominent among them are: Dr Nisar Ahmad, Raza Nasrullah Ghuman, Rana Asif Tauseef, Nawab Sher Waseer, Talib Husain, Nisar Akbar, Bilal Noor Ansari, Dr Khalid Baloch, Basharat Manj, Dr Muhammad Yasin, Sheikh Yousaf, Zulfiqar Inayat and Fawad Cheema.

The details of NA seats where candidates might be changed or have been replaced are:

NA-75: As the PML-N is considering to change its candidate, former town nazim Fawad Cheema and Misbahuddin Zaigham are trying to win the confidence of the party high command. Mr Zaigham was fielded by the party last time and he bagged 31,283 votes. Fawad, who quit the PML-Q and went to Karachi to welcome PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto on her return to country, is now struggling for the PML-N ticket.

The PML-Q has fielded Ghulam Rasool Sahi who won the last election by obtaining 55,464 votes against the PPP candidate Wajid Mustafa’s 35,417.

NA-76: The PML-Q is yet to decide its candidate, though former federal minister Wasi Zafar and former district nazim Zahid Nazir have claims to their fame. Sources said Mr Nazir had already been selected as a candidate.

The PPP has replaced its last time candidate, Rai Ijaz Husain, with Nawab Sher Wasir. The former was third in the run. The PML-N is also expected to change Rai Salahuddin and give a chance to his son, Haider Salahuddin.

NA-77: The PPP has fielded Sajjad Awan, a newcomer, by replacing Khizar Abbas who was third in the last general election with 25,125 votes. Asim Nazir, backed by the PML-Q, was the winner and is again contesting from the same constituency.

NA-78: Raheela Perveen Baloch, the only female backed by a major political party, has got the PPP ticket. She has replaced Ishaque Shafqat Baloch.

NA-79: This is the constituency where not a single candidate has been changed by any political party for the upcoming general election. Safdar Shakir is in the race from the PML-Q platform, Rana Farooq Saeed from the PPP and Safdar Rehman from the PML-N.

NA-80: An interesting situation has emerged as PML-N’s last time winner Rana Asif Tauseef has shaken hand with the PML-Q and from the new platform he will take on Raza Nasrullah Ghuman, who made it to the PML-N after parting with the PPP. The PPP has fielded a new candidate, Tariq Habib.

In the last election, a former provincial minister Dildar Ahmad Cheema was the PML-Q candidate who was second with 41,947 votes against 43,547 of Mr Tauseef.

NA-81: Voters in this constituency would have to choose between the old faces with new affiliations. Dr Nisar Ahmad was the candidate of the PPP in the last election, but now he has flown to the PML-Q burrow. The PML-N is also considering fielding an old loyalist of PPP, Nisar Akbar, instead of Shahbaz Kisana. The former, contesting last time for NA-82, quit the PPP a couple of days ago after the party refused him a ticket. Now Saeed Iqbal has come in handy for the PPP.

NA-82: The PML-Q has replaced Nasir Ali Shah with an energetic, Rana Zahid Mahmood who resigned from the Lalpur Town nazim slot for the purpose. The PPP introduced young Aizad Mahmood, son of veteran politician Chaudhary Umar Draz. Sahibzada Fazil Karim, who resigned in protest against the Women Protection Bill, is again in the run for the same area.

NA-83: Only the PML-N has replaced candidate with Mian Mannan Ahmed. His son Mian Irfan was contender last time and his father did not take part in the process because he did not qualify under the graduation condition. Former federal minister for textile Mushtaq Ali Cheema (PML-Q) and Muhammad Ijaz Virk (PPP) are vying for this slot.

NA-84: Mehr Abdul Rasheed is the candidate of the PPP instead of former provincial minister Badruddin. The PML-Q fielded Rana Zahid owing to the death of Fazal Husain Rahi who remained runners-up by bagged 24,092 votes. PML-N’s Abid Sher Ali was the winner with 33,455 votes.

NA-85: The last constituency in the district will have Bilal Noor Ansari (a PPP man who was a runners-up with 37,289 votes against 41,448 of Raja Nadir Pervaiz in the last polls) as the PML-Q hopeful. The PPP has decided to go for newcomer Shakil Ansari as the aspirant for this slot.

Most of the candidates branched out to other parties either to get benefits or after failing to get the desired results from their parties.

Two former MNAs Dr Nisar Ahmad and Rana Asif Tauseef bid farewell to their parties after winning the elections from the respective constituencies.

Similarly, many provincial assembly constituencies will have the new faces or veteran politicians with new commitments.

Deputy Election Commissioner Malik Masood said around 2.9 million voters were likely to exercise their right to vote in the election. The number of registered voters last time exceeded three million.

He said arrangements had been finalised to conduct polling at 2,948 stations and 7,062 booths in the city district.