SWABI: Leaders of various political parties said on Saturday that it was difficult for them to conduct the election campaign in Ramazan and that they had restricted the canvassing to indoor meetings to prepare workers to start a full-fledged drive after Eidul Fitr.

Asad Qaisar, former speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said: “Ramazan, harsh summer and election campaign could not go side by side. It’s very difficult for the contesting candidates to remain in contact the voters.”

He said during Ramazan they only focused on preparing the party’s office-bearers at union council level to run the campaign effectively after Eidul Fitr.

Babar Saleem, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s former MNA, told the party leaders at a meeting in Maneri that they would have to work round the clock to win over the voters as there would be only about 36 days left for the election campaign after the Eid.

Gul Zamin Shah, Awami National Party candidate for PK-44, Swabi-II, told a party meeting in Shagai village that the diehard workers should remain ready for the massive poll campaign after Eid.

Meanwhile, the election candidates made it clear on Saturday that the elections should be held on time.

PTI district president Anwar Haqdad, who has applied for NA-19, Swabi-II, while speaking at a workers’ meeting, said elections should be held as scheduled.

Abdul Karim, former adviser to the chief minister who would contest elections from PK-45, Swabi-III, said there was great enthusiasm among the people and everybody was mentally prepared to participate in the elections.

“We hope that the elections will be held on time because any delay was not acceptable to the people,” he stressed.

Dildar Khan, PML-N district general secretary, said the regular holding of elections in the country had strengthened democracy.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2018