LAHORE, July 13: The PML is unlikely to announce any specific group for its nominees in party-less elections, ruling party’s district president says. For fear of mass scale disqualifications by the Election Commission like in 1979 local body polls of PPP-backed candidates, we are avoiding to take any such step, says Mian Muhammad Munir. “However, all depends on the code of conduct being issued by the Commission as we are determined to follow the law.”

(Interviews have been taken before the issuance of the code of conduct by the commission.)

To overcome the problem of identification of PML candidates, he says, a list of the nominees will be issued to the workers.

Party leaders will also attend corner meetings during electioneering to confirm to the masses that who are the ruling party’s candidates, he says.

Giving some specific slogan to the workers is also under active consideration of the elders, the former MNA says.

The ruling party will not make electoral adjustments with any other group, he says, adding: “The party has organization in almost 125 union councils and we do not face any dearth of winning horses so no question of adjustments.”

The party is getting confirmed credentials from education boards of 1,100 aspirants seeking its backing in the local body polls as Nazims and Naib Nazims for 150 union councils in Lahore.

A list of the aspirants has been dispatched to the relevant education boards for confirmation of matriculation certificates submitted by the hopefuls during just concluded interviews.

Besides the Mian, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, senior vice-president Punjab Mian Abdul Sattar, Lahore secretary-general Suhail Butt, Mian Shahbaz Ahmad and relevant MNA/MPA were on the board of interviewers.

The development projects, he says, approved in the budget but could not yet be executed would be completed before the polls to further convince the people to vote for the ruling party’s nominees.

Almost 50 per cent former Nazims will repeat, the Mian states. Some of the rest of the 50 per cent are reluctant to contest this time while others will be dropped to accommodate winning horses. The final list of candidates will be prepared by the board within a couple of days. Today (Wednesday), the board is going to decide contestants for Ravi, Shalimar and Wagah Towns, he says.

The criteria for selecting the candidates is affiliation with the party, results of last bout, and having no record of corruption.

Mian Munir admits that the ruling party’s nominees will face the problem of masses’ reaction to price-hike which, he says, has not come under control despite taking various measures.

He is not ready to disclose party’s nominees for town and district Nazims, saying any announcement before the union council polls will open a Pandora’s box.

As district president he is in favour of Mian Amer to repeat as the district Nazim. However, he says that a final decision will be taken by the provincial leadership.

There are only a couple of women candidates as Nazims for various union councils and the Mian is against their large-scale involvement “due to peculiar social environment of the city.” However, the women wing of the party has been asked to recommend such women who have bright chances of winning.