LAHORE: The first grassroots level electoral bout between arch political rivals, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is set to take place on Sept 12 in the polls for 42 Cantonment Boards across the country.

Of them 20 cantonments are located in Punjab where around 1,310 candidates are in the run for 119 wards or general seats. Close to one million voters will exercise their right to franchise in the elections.

The elections were pending since 2019 due to Covid-19 pandemic and re-demarcation of wards in the cantonments.

Both the PTI and PML-N claim to have fielded candidates for all the constituencies, while Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamaat-i-Islami could find hopefuls for only 60 per cent of the seats.

None of the political parties have struck any seat adjustment or entered into any alliance for the polls.

The PML-N alleges violation of code of conduct by the ruling party as it has undertaken development projects in many cantonment areas.

A delegation of the N-League led by MNA Khwaja Saad Rafiq called on Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in Islamabad on Wednesday and submitted a written complaint regarding the use of development funds for influencing voters in the polls as well as Prime Minister Imran Khan’s alleged involvement in the election process as he reportedly met two independent candidates at the Governor House during his recent Lahore visit and convinced them to withdraw their papers in favour of the PTI nominees.

The PML-N pledges to at least safeguard its citadel, Lahore, at all costs and not allow the government to rig the polls.

“We have reports that Imran Khan had directed [Chief Minister] Usman Buzdar to ensure an 8:2 win, eight of PTI and two of the PML-N, in Lahore and Walton cantonment polls. For this purpose, active workers of the opposition will be taken into custody 72 hours before the polling day,” Punjab information secretary Azma Bukhari alleges.

PTI Senator Ejaz Chaudhry says the opposition is levelling the allegations seeing its defeat like in the Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir polls.

Meanwhile, Punjab Election Commissioner Ghulam Israr Khan has completed his visits to all cantonments in the province to have first-hand knowledge of the preparations.

He was briefed by the police that out of 355 polling stations in two Lahore cantonments, 40 were extremely sensitive and 237 sensitive, whereas there were 19 extremely sensitive and 17 sensitive in Sargodha as well as one in Sialkot cantonment.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2021