GUJRAT: The Chaudhry family has geared up its campaign to build up their presence in Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir tehsils where the party has already launched Chaudhry Moosa Elahi, the brother of MNA Chaudhry Hussain Elahi, as a candidate for NA-71 for the next election.

Both are sons of Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain.

The seat is presently with PML-N’s Abid Raza Kotla who defeated Chaudhry Ilyas, the joint candidate of the PTI and the PML-Q, during the last election.

With eyes on the next vote which may fall earlier due to the present political situation, the party is luring ‘electables’ from Gujrat and some neighbouring districts and wants the PTI government to give it free hand in administrative affairs there.

Earlier on Wednesday, Dhoriya Union Council’s former chairman Iftikhar Haider announced joining the PML-Q after quitting the PML-N at a meeting with Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore.

Mr Haider was arrested by the Kharian Sadar police for running a gambling den over a month ago. Last week, two former union council chairmen -- Manzoor Mera and Shafaqat Shah -- belonging to Sara-i-Alamgir tehsil, , also announced joining the PML-Q at a public gathering whereas another political figure, Raja Naeem Nawaz, a former ticket holder of PTI in 2013 general elections from the Punjab Assembly seat of Sara-i-Alamgir, had also held a meeting with the PML-Q leadership a few days ago.

However, sources said that Mr Nawaz who had been annoyed with the PTI for not awarding him ticket to contest the July 2018 elections from the seat, would announce his joining the PML-Q by arranging a public gathering in the next couple of weeks.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2020