MULTAN, Oct 6: In five of the 13 districts of south Punjab the candidates vying against the nominees of the Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi have clinched the top district offices.

The upsets against the ‘government might’ are seen in Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Vehari, Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan while this trend has come forth in a number of tehsils also.

According to the unofficial results, Rao Naseem Hashim defeated the CM’s nominee Amjad Joiya for the Pakpattan district top slot. Rao Naseem was the joint candidate of Awam Khushhal group formed by the opposition parties and the renegade elements of the ruling PML. Top slots of Pakpattan and Arifwala tehsils have also been clinched by the candidates of the same group against the CM’s nominees. Diwan Azmat Chishti has returned in Pakpattan while Naveed Tariq in Arifwala.

Rai Hasan Nawaz won in Sahiwal against the CM’s nominee Naveed Aslam Lodhi, the son-in-law of provincial agriculture minister Arshad Khan Lodhi. Although, Rai Hasan belongs to the ruling PML, he had refused to budge before the CM’s pressure to withdraw his candidature in favour of Lodhi. The CM had met the electorate in Sahiwal on Sunday last to seek votes for his candidate. The Pakpattan district electoral college members were also summoned to urge them to vote Amjad Joiya to the district nazim office.

Former federal minister Shahid Mehdi Naseem outclassed CM’s nominee Mumtaz Khan Khitchi for the Vehari district nazim office. Mumtaz Khitchi had been a former nazim of the district and was assumed invincible. Shahid Mehdi was enjoying the support of opposition parties. PML-N stalwart Tehmina Daultana is said to have play an important role in his victory. However, her spouse Zahid Anwar Wahla could not make it to the Vehari tehsil nazim slot.

Saqib Khursheed of the ruling party PML has returned as the Vehari tehsil nazim. The CM’s nominee Chaudhry Nazeer Arain however faced defeat in the electoral battle for Burewala tehsil top office where Usman Warriach became victorious with the backing of opposition parties.

CM’s nominee Asim Saeed Manhais returned to the Mailsi tehsil nazim slot. Manhais supported Shahid Mehdi Naseem for the district top slot. pervaiz Elahi’s political adviser Sikander Elahi Cheema remained in Vehari district to campaign for the candidates of his boss.

PPP MNA Abdul Qayyum Jatoi won as the Muzaffargarh district nazim against the CM’s nominee and the only woman candidate for the district top slot in Punjab MNA Tehmina Dasti. She is the daughter of veteran politician Amjad Hameed Dasti. However, the candidates backed by the ruling party returned in all the four tehsils of the district. Rafiq Khar, Ibad Dogar, Khizer Gopang and Maria Batool Bokhari won the top slots of Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh, Alipur and Jatoi tehsils, respectively. Maria is the daughter of area bigwig Abdullah Shah Bokhari and sister of the provincial minister Basit Sultan Bokhari.

The LG polls have proved a nightmare for the Legharis as initially they lost their grip over Rajanpur district where seasoned Sardar Nasrullah Dreshak regained power with the support of Pervaiz Elahi. His son Raza Dreshak has returned as the Rajanpur district nazim. Former president Sardar Farooq Leghari’s son Jamal Leghari was defeated by the opposition’s joint candidate Maqsood Leghari. Jamal Leghari was the CM’s nominee.

PML’s Mian Faisel Mukhtar won as the first nazim of Multan city district government. Similarly, official candidates won with ease the top slots of the six towns of the CDG.

In Layyah, Ghulam Haider Thind became the district nazim in a one sided affair.

The Bahawalnagar district top slot was clinched by the PPP MNA Mumtaz Matiana who has joined the ruling party a couple of weeks before the third and the final phase of the LG polls.

Ahmed Yar Hiraj was re-elected Khanewal district nazim while Abdul Rehman Kanju as the Lodhran district nazim.