RAWALPINDI: With the elections just 20 days away, the PPP, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and PML-N are planning to open central election offices by the end of this week.

In 2013, parties had opened their elections offices two months before polling day to coordinate with workers in the supporters.

This time around, however, candidates are finding it difficult to coordinate without these offices and are mostly visiting the constituencies of other candidates.

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“There is no central office in the city area. There is an elections office on 6th Road and workers have asked to shift it to Murree Road; we will move to a new building within a few days,” former PML-N MNA Malik Shakil Awan said.

He toldDawnworkers and supporters would be activated in the city soon after the party’s central office is shifted. At present, campaigns are focused on meeting with people individually at their homes.

PPP’s Sumera Gull said her party has not yet decided whether to open the main elections office in Rawalpindi.

“We have three choices, and workers and supporters will be consulted after which the election office site will be selected,” she said.

The party leadership has decided that all the candidates will share the main office, she said,

which will be inaugurated by Nayyar Hussain Bukharion Friday. Ms Gull added that the party was running the campaign in the city and cantonment areas by focusing on old workers and supporters.

She claimed the PPP would surprise people, as support for the party had been increasing every day in the city and it had been assured of support from those who were unhappy in the past.

The PTI will open its main election office in the city areas soon, city president Ijaz Khan Jazi said, adding that they were looking for a suitable site in a prominent part of the city.

“At present, the party candidates are running their campaign individually and the combined campaign will be launched a week from the election,” he said. The PTI will open two offices - one in the city and one in the cantonment areas.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2018