May 21, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1429

BAHAWALPUR, May 20: Political parties have started weighing their potential candidates for by-elections to the slots of Bahawalpur district naib nazim, and Ahmedpur East tehsil nazim in the district. Nomination papers can be filed till May 22.

Even though local council elections are held on non-party basis, the ruling coalition in Punjab – the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) -- as well as opposition PML-Q have formed their groups to field their candidates.

For the slot of district naib nazim, the PML-N‘s likely candidates could be Qayyum Azam, Khalid Mumtaz Jajja, the son of MPA Mumtaz Jajja, and Aqeel Hashmi. The PML-Q, headed by District Nazim Tariq Cheema, may field Umair Abdullah, the convener of the district council. The PPP is likely to pick its hopeful from Tatheerul Hasan, Shehbaz Rajput, Salim Bhatti and PPP District President Riaz Dahar. According PPP sources, the PPP Punjab executive committee will nominate the candidate. The office fell vacant after district naib nazim Syed Irfan Gardezi resigned in Nov 2007 to contest elections 2008 as a PML-Q candidate for a provincial assembly seat and lost on Feb 18.

Various groups from the PML-N and the PML-Q have also emerged to grab Ahmedpur tehsil nazim slot. The seat was declared vacant after the resignation of Makhdum Samiul Hasan Gilani, who being a PML-Q ticket- holder, lost election for the National Assembly on Feb 18.