LAHORE, Aug 12: The newly re-formed Shalamar Town, comprising 17 union councils, seems to be heading for an interesting contest. Traditionally a PPP stronghold, the area fell to the Muslim League-N in the mid-nineties, and now the ruling PML is trying to make inroads.

The town is heavily dominated by the Arain biradari, who are expected to vote along biradari lines in a party-less election. The area is also dominated by small businessmen, small farmers and the lower middle class.

Historically, the areas falling in Shalamar Town were dominated by the PPP. Benazir Bhutto fought and won the 1988 election from here, though the PPP lost by-election to the PML-N. From 1988 to 2002, the PML-N ruled the constituency. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and Akram Gujjar got elected from here in the last general elections. Asif Iftikhar of the PML-N was elected as town nazim of the former, larger, Shalamar Town.

The present town has been carved out of a big chunk of the former Shalamar Town, while some areas of it have been merged with the Wagah Town.

The town has a total of 310,295 voters and its 17 UCs include: Bhagatpura (voters 15,971), Gujjarpura (18,637), Rehmatpura (14,258), Begumpura (20,892), Chah Meeran (22,413), Bilal Park (19,021), Makhanpura (20,329), Kot Khwaja Saeed (20,037), Shadbagh (20,039), Wassanpura (17,147), Faizbagh (20,027), Crown Park (15,999), Madhu Lal Husain (15,620), Muhammad Colony (17,472), Baghbanpura (18,260), Angoori Bagh (16,966) and Mujahidabad (17,207).

Some 72 panels, each consisting of two candidates, are in the run for nazim and naib nazim. For one seat for minorities in each of the 17 UCs, 40 candidates are contesting. For two seats for Muslim Women in each UC, 123 candidates are running. For one seat for minority women in every UC, 40 candidates are contesting.

For four seats for Muslim general male in each UC, some 430 candidates are in the run, and 211 candidates are testing their luck for the two peasant/worker seats in every UC.

Two peasant/worker seats in each UC have attracted 105 contestants. In total, 981 candidates are vying for different seats in the town.

No major party has revealed the names of candidates for the slot of the nazim. According to political pundits, these parties are waiting for the final result of UC elections. They plan to finalize their candidates depending on the result: if they win sufficient number of seats, they will field mainstream leaders as nazims.

But if they do not win the required number of seats to ensure victory of nazims, a second-tier leadership will be fielded. However, this attitude of the main parties is robbing the local body elections of its political heat. Ambivalence always kills the electioneering spirit, and the mainstream political parties have just done that, say analysts.

The parties are trying to generate heat through a blame game. They are trying to up the political temperature with blames of pre-poll rigging and political intervention by the ruling party instead of being part of the game and contesting the election with a political spirit.

Most parties are fielding their candidates under different panels, but crying foul about the ruling PML. Though rules of the game are a bit confusing as far as the government is concerned, but the ambivalent attitude of the opposition, too, has added to the confusion. Analysts say the parties concerned should go the whole hog and try to generate a political momentum that could help involve voters.