TAXILA: Though all political parties and religious groups have fielded candidates for the local government elections of the cantonment boards in Taxila and Wah, there would be a one-to-one contest between the PTI and PML-N.

In the Cantonment Board Wah, 196,250 and in Cantonment Board Taxila 15,976 registered voters will exercise their right to franchise on Sunday.

The number of constituencies in Wah Cantonment is 10 while in Taxila a tough contest is expected in the five constituencies. The PTI led by federal minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has a strong presence both in Taxila and Wah garrison cities as MPAs elected from both the constituencies belong to the ruling party.

PTI workers are hopeful about winning the polls. They mostly base their optimism on the results of the 2013 general elections when the party won all the three seats - one national and two provincial assembly seats from the area. Similarly, both the seats in Taxila and six out of the 10 seats in Wah were grabbed by the party in the last cantonment board elections.

The PML-N is struggling for its political survival in the absence of its political heavyweight, former federal minister for interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, from the electioneering campaign. On the other hand, Sarwar Khan is running the campaign of each and every candidate of the PTI.

According to political analysts, tough contest is expected between and PML-N candidates in Wah.

PTI candidate Malik Nusrat and PML-N’s Amir Sultan in ward No 1. In ward 2, a tough context is expected between PML-N local senior leader Raja Ayub and PTI’s Idrees Khan. In ward 3, PML-N candidate Malik Arshad and PTI’s Asif Mehmood and in ward 4 PTI candidate Malik Arif Mehmood and PML-N’s Shahid Arif are in the field.

In ward 5, a tough contest is also expected between PTI’s Azhar Mehmood and PML-N’s Raja Amir Saeed.

In ward 6, PTI has fielded Sajjad Safdar Butt against PML-N’s Waqas Butt.

In ward seven, the PTI has failed to launch a unanimous candidate due to two strong candidates and has not awarded a ticket to any aspirant. Resultantly, Raja Tariq Mehmmod and Lalzada Khan are contesting with the party flag while PML-N’s Abdul Rehman is likely to take benefit of the PTT’s divided vote bank.

In ward 8, which comprises the posh locality of cantonment neck to neck contest is expected between Malik Fahad- younger brother of MPA from Wah while Farrukh Pervaiz Butt is in real contest in this constituency. In ward 9, PTI candidate Ihtisham Iqbal and N candidate Farrukh Saleem in run while in ward 10, PTI Mazhar Mehmood has political supremacy over N candidate Ahsan Mehmood.

In Taxila Cantonment ward 1, PTI’s Malik Yasir is challenged by Aabid Hussain of PML-N. In ward 2, PTI’S candidate Munawar Khan haS political supremacy over PML-N candidate Ghulam Dastiger Butt. In ward 3, PML-N worker Malik Shafeeq has an upper hand over PTI’s Sajid Khan while in ward 4, outgoing vice president Cantonment Board Syed Raza Shah is contesting the polls against PML-N candidate Saif Ali Shah. In ward 5, PTI has fielded Saad Ali Khan against Zarrar Awan of the PML-N.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021