LAHORE: At least 111 aspirants including PPP candidates have submitted their papers with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for four of the 20 seats of the Punjab Assembly that fell vacant after PTI MPAs were de-notified for floor-crossing and voting for the rival PML-N candidate in the election for the office of the chief minister held on April 16.

Four of the de-seated MPAs had been elected from Lahore constituencies – PP-158, -167, -168 and -170.

The PPP had sought applications from its potential candidates for award of tickets for the by-elections on the 20 seats despite knowing (rather being a part of the negotiations) that an understanding reached between the PML-N and the now de-notified parliamentarians that if disqualified for crossing the floor, they would be given PML-N tickets to re-enter the power corridors.

PPP general secretary Senator Farhatullah Babar had last week called for applications from aspirants of the party ticket and instructed them to submit their requests in the name of the party president along with a bank draft of Rs35,000 each.

The provincial chapter of the PPP had already decided to field its candidates against all those seats where the senior ruling coalition partner (PML-N) would not pitch its nominee.

However, the N-League has neither sought applications for the purpose nor has convened its parliamentary board meeting to take a decision on the issue. It is also facing a challenge from the ECP -- complete intra-party polls before June 24, the day when election symbols will be allotted to the contestants in the by-elections – otherwise it will not be allowed to issue party tickets to its nominees.

The PML-N has already missed three deadlines set by the ECP for the intra-party polls and so far it has initiated no process in this regard leading to rumours that perhaps it doesn’t wish to allot its election symbol, tiger, to the PTI dissidents.

However, PML-N central deputy general secretary Attaullah Tarar dispels the impression and says that the party will complete the intra-party process by June 24 and will be able to award its tickets as per promise to those who have voted for Hamza Shehbaz in the CM’s contest.

PPP leader Syed Hassan Murtaza says that they have not sought any quota of seats in the by-elections but hope that the PML-N will take them along while making a decision on the issue.

Lahore PPP leader Faisal Mir has submitted his papers for PP-167 (Township, Lahore). In the 2013 general election, he had contested for the same seat, which falls under the National Assembly seat NA-133, from where the party secured 32,000 votes in the by-polls over a year ago.

He hopes that he will be accommodated by the PML-N for PP-167 so that PPP workers may also be mobilised against the PTI. He says he has no clue whether he will be allowed by his party to contest the by-polls or not but he has submitted nominations as per the applications sought by Farhatullah Babar.

Nazir Chohan is the likely PML-N candidate for PP-167 as by-polls for all the 20 seats will be held on July 17.

These seats include: PP-7, Rawalpindi-II; PP-83, Khushab-II; PP-90, Bhakkar-II; PP-97, Faisalabad-I; PP-125, Jhang-II; PP-127, Jhang-IV, PP-140, Sheikhupura-VI; PP-158, Lahore-XV; PPs-167, 168 and 170, Lahore-XXIV, XXIV & XXVI; PP-202, Sahiwal-VII; PP-217, Multan-VII; PP-224, Lodhran-I; PP-228, Lodhran-V; PP-237, Bahawalnagar-I; PPs-272 and 273, Muzaffargarh-V, VI; PP-282, Layyah-III; and PP-288, Dera Ghazi Khan-IV.

The de-notified MPAs were Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Saeed Akbar Khan, Muhammad Ajmal, Faisal Hayat, Mehar Muhammad Aslam, Mian Khalid Mehmood, Abdul Aleem Khan, Nazir Ahmad Chohan, Malik Asad Ali Khokhar, Muhammad Amin Zulqernain, Malik Nauman Langrial, Muhammad Salman, Zawar Hussain Warraich, Nazir Ahmad Khan, Zahara Batool, Muhammad Sabtain Raza, Muhammad Tahir, and Mohsin Atta Khosa.

The ECP had also de-seated five MPAs elected to the reserved seats for women and minorities from the PTI quota. They were Uzma Kardar, Aisha Nawaz, Sajida Yousaf, Ijaz Masih and Haroon Imran Gill.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2022