LAHORE, July 5: The central parliamentary board of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will meet in London in the fourth week of this month to consider, and possibly finalise, the party’s candidates from Punjab for the general elections.

The series of meetings, scheduled from July 23 to 29, will be chaired by PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and attended by central executive committee (CEC) members, Punjab leaders and district presidents and general secretaries.

The board will shortlist candidates for both National and Provincial Assembly seats from two (defunct) divisions on alternate days, according to a source in the Lahore PPP.

“The party has to win the elections at all costs,” he quoted Ms Bhutto as saying. He said the PPP had short listed the names of probable candidates viewing their chances to win.

The provincial organisation of the PPP has already prepared a list of potential candidates in its preliminary survey. The potential candidates have been marked by provincial leaders in consultation with district organisations.

The list of potential candidates includes the hopefuls from within the PPP and those who are not in the party at present but have indicated an inclination to join it provided they are assured of a party ticket.

The list of probable candidates includes several, supposedly strong winning candidates who are currently part of the governing Pakistan Muslim League, but do not stand enough chances of getting its ticket for the next elections, the source says.

At the moment, the glass of the ruling party is brimming. In many districts in the province, the ruling party has in its folds two or even more candidates in many constituencies vying for party tickets.

Several of them are fence-sitters because it is not possible for the ruling party to accommodate all of them. The PPP has included them in the preliminary potential candidates’ list, he explained.

But it should not be construed that the PPP is ready to accommodate all the fence-sitters, he said.

“Our leadership will, and should, want to accommodate those party leaders and activist who stood by it through its difficult times. Such potential candidates (from the ruling party) will be considered only for those constituencies where the PPP does not have strong candidates. Some such names may be rejected in the central parliamentary board meetings and the others may refuse to switch sides, he said.