FAISALABAD, Dec 24: The PML-N and the PPPP have failed to field joint candidates for the seats of naib nazims in the city district and its eight towns due to differences. In the local body polls, the opposition-supported nominees had clinched the office of Faisalabad city district nazim and town nazims of Jaranwala and Jinnah. However, in the last phase of the elections, the PML-N and the PPPP could not develop consensus on a candidate for the naib nazim’s post.

City PML-N president Khwaja Muhammad Islam and former MNA Chaudhry Sher Ali are leading their own group in the party while the district president, former MNA Safdar Rehman, is out of the scene for the last so many years.

Similarly, deputy opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Rana Sanaullah Khan, MPAs Sheikh Ijaz and Malik Nawaz and former MNA Mian Abdul Mannan are not ready to join hands ‘at any cost.’

City PPP organization led by former MPA Mahmoodul Hasan Dar with secretary general MPA Dr Asad Moazam could not play worth mentioning role in the local body elections. The other leadership of the PPP also preferred to stay away from the elections of the naib nazims of town and city district despite the fact that self-styled opposition nominee, Sheikh Muhammad Yousaf, had recently announced joining of the PPPP.

After failure of the major opposition parties in fielding the candidates for the naib nazims of the city district and eight towns — Lyallpur, Madina, Jinnah, Iqbal, Jaranwala, Samundri, Tandlianwala and Chak Jhumra — there was a strong chance of the success of ruling party candidates.

On the other hand, the chief minister had named former MNA Mian Amjad Yaseen, husband of MNA Rifaat Amjad, as ruling party candidate for the Faisalabad city district naib nazim. Two newcomers, Nadeem Aftab Sindhu and Raja Mannan Ahmad, have been fielded for the Lyallpur and Iqbal Towns while the names of other six towns would be finalized on Saturday (today).