KHANEWAL: Influential clans and ethnic and religious groups are more important than political ideologies in Khanewal district. After the delimitation, the district has four National Assembly and eight Punjab Assembly seats.

The statistics of 2002 to 2013 elections establish the fact that influential clans capture the seats regardless of their electoral symbols. Among the most powerful clans in the district are Sarganas, Harajs, Dahas, Rajputs and Syeds, who have sizeable votes.

This time, a triangular battle is set in each constituency as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), PML-N and PPP candidates are in the run.

For NA-150 (old NA-156), the PTI has fielded Raza Hayat Haraj, the PML-N retired Admiral Saeed Ahmad Sargana while the PPP may support Syed Fakahr Imam, who is in the run with his group as an independent candidate.

Mr Haraj is defending the seat for the fourth time. He is a known party hopper. In 2002, he was elected on the PPP ticket but defected to the PPPP-Patriots soon after the elections. In 2008, he won the seat as a PML-Q candidate and in 2013 as an independent candidate. In all elections, Mr Imam, also notorious for changing parties, remained the runner-up as PML-Q candidate in 2002, PPP in 2008 and PML-N in 2013.

The PML-N’s Sargana is a first-timer candidate in elections but Sarganas are bigger landlords than Harajs in the area. Until this election, Sarganas and Hirajs were political allies against Syeds. Their split may benefit Mr Imam. The constituency stretches from Kabirwala to Khanewal and Shorkot’s river belt. The main areas include Kabirwala Municipal Committee, Sara-i-Sidhu Town Committee, tehsil Kabirwala (old), Chak 25-Ghagh, Sardarpur, Salar Wahin, Kohna Kukkar Hatta and Bagar basti union.

In the provincial constituencies under NA-150, again Harajs and Syeds are the main contenders where Pir Mukhtar Hussin is a PML-N candidate for PP-203 against PTI’s Akbar Hayat Haraj, the brother of Raza Haraj.

Mr Imam’s group has fielded Syed Khawar Ali Shah. The alliance of Khawar and Imam is being dubbed as a game changer. Earlier, Mr Imam was banking on Mukhtiar Husain, but he surprisingly went for the PML-N ticket.

For PP-204, the PTI has fielded Mahr Abbas Zafar Haraj while the PML-N has nominated Rana Irfan. Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi, three-time winner of the seat, is in the run as an independent candidate and from the Syed group.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2018