GUJRAT: In what appears to be a surprise move, the PML-N has awarded party ticket to Kotla group’s Tanveer Kotla for the district council chairman ignoring the Nawabzada group, which was being considered a favourite.

Sources said the decision was announced by MNA Hamza Shahbaz at a meeting at Punjab House in Islamabad on Tuesday following approval of party chief and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The premier was briefed by the committee concerned of the party that had held a meeting with him on Monday.

On the other hand, the PML-Q and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have jointly fielded Begum Sameera Elahi, the sister of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, as a candidate for the district council chairperson.

Sameera was elected as member of the district council on a reserved seat two weeks ago and now she will contest for the top slot.

Tanveer Kotla was elected as Kotla Arab Ali Union Council chairman and is a brother of PML-N lawmakers MNA Abid Raza and MPA Shabeer Kotla.

The other two main contenders from the PML-N for the top slot were Nawabzada Tahirul Mulk, the nephew of MNA Nawabzada Mazhar Ali, and Mian Sher Afgan Dinga, the son of MPA Mian Tariq Mehmood.

Sources added that Shoaib Raza, the cousin of MNA Jaafar Iqbal Fatta Bhand, had been nominated as the PML-N candidate for the vice chairman of the Gujrat district council.

Both the Nawabzada family and Mian Tariq group had an understanding that they would support each other in case either of them won the party nomination. These groups also had the support of two more lawmakers of the district. However, the Kotla group surfaced as a dark horse.

MPA Shabeer Kotla told Dawn the party leadership had told MNA Abid Raza about the decision of awarding the ticket to his brother and directed him to take all other groups on board during the election campaign.

Meanwhile the PML N has also awarded the ticket for the slot of mayor of Gujrat Municipal Corporation to ex MPA Haji Nasir Mehmood who is the uncle of MPA Haji Imran Zafar.

Published in Dawn December 8th, 2016