LAHORE: The PML-N and the opposition PTI on Friday fielded their candidates for the Lahore mayoral contest due on Dec 22.

The ruling party introduced little known retired Col Mubashhar Javaid for the coveted office. Earlier, former mayor Khwaja Hassaan was being tipped as the nominee for the slot.

Mr Hassaan is vice-chairman of the Lahore Development Authority and focal person for the Orange Line Metro Train besides head of many committees related to development work in the metropolis. Col Mubashhar was elected to the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore (MCL) on a seat reserved for technocrats.

A party leader says Hamza Shahbaz, tasked with picking potential candidates for mayoral elections, was also not in favour of Mr Hassaan and instead desired to pitch Waseem Qadir for the slot.

A cabinet member said the chief minister had extended his stay in London as he did not want to influence the mayoral contest.

Col Mubashir is the choice of the prime minister.

The deputy mayors fielded by the PML-N are Mushtaq Mughal, Waseem Qadir, Nazeer Swati, Mehr Mahmood, Ijaz Hafeez, Mian Tariq, Bilal Chaudhry, Haji Allah Rakha and Rao Shahabuddin.

The PTI has fielded Afeef Siddiqui for the mayor office. The party had won 10 and the PML-N 228 out of 274 UCs.

PTI’s candidates for deputy mayors are Azhar Hasnain, Aneela Sajid, M Fayyaz, M Ijaz, Zaman Khan, Asif Suhail Khokhar and Munawwar Hasan.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2016