LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has finally agreed to demand of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat that the PML-Q should go into elections with their own poll symbol --- the bicycle.

According to sources, the president decided the matter during his meeting with PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at the Bilawal House on Saturday evening. There had been a deadlock on election symbol and high-profile seat-adjustment between the PPP and PML-Q since both parties kicked off talks on the matter a couple of months ago.

The PPP leadership had been insisting that the two parties should contest elections under a joint electoral symbol.

“President Zardari told the Chaudhrys that the two parties will contest elections on their own symbols — arrow and bicycle,” a PPP leader told Dawn after the meeting.

He said that as the parties had not yet decided about the fate of disputed seats where their stalwarts are interested in contesting simultaneously the PML-Q declared it would not surrender these seats in favour of PPP candidates.

President Zardari and the Chaudhrys reportedly would reach an understanding on such seats as well once the seat-adjustment on other constituencies in the country is finalised.

PML-Q’s information secretary Senator Kamil Ali Agha told Dawn that on the recommendation of the general council of the party Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain made it clear to President Zardari that his party would not compromise on its election symbol. “And the president finally agrees to it,” he said.

Mr Agha added that the PML-Q had decided that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would contest polls on the seat in his native town, NA-105 (Gujrat).

“We hope to reach an understanding on this and other disputed seats with the PPP. Otherwise Mr Elahi will contest on this seat even if the PPP fields its candidate and this is final,” he said.

Water and Power Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar won this seat in the last election and he insisted that Mr Zardari had given him a go ahead to launch his election campaign there.