LAHORE, Feb 15: Candidates have opened coffers, intensifying their canvassing to win the general elections, developing a medium-scale electioneering din in Lahore which was otherwise one of the main politically-vibrant city.

Though recent public meetings and the guarded mass contacts by leaders of the three main parties, the PPP, PML-N and the PML-Q, has also boosted the dull election process but personal factor is playing a dominant role in making people realise that finally the elections are around the corner, and they are required to play their role.

The cost of canvassing has doubled as is the tension because of the postponement of the elections after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The dwindling party positions and their smoky victory prospects, too, have made the candidates, especially those of the PML-Q, to enhance the flavour of their personal influence and wealth in the electioneering.

The city streets have started buzzing with slogans by the “workers” of the candidates, who take rounds in small groups to, what looks like, ‘wake up’ the people for the elections.

They raise spirited slogans, carry banners, posters or portraits of their candidates and pass the streets without generating any ideological spark among the people. The reason in most cases is that the workers, especially the Leaguers, appear like doing a ‘service” rather than espousing a cause.

Traditionally, people in Lahore are attuned to supporting parties more likely to form government in the centre and in the province. But this time around, terrorism and the uncertainty about who would form a government and how strong it would be is keeping even die-hard supporters away from electioneering.

If one goes around the city, one can find streets and bazaars decorated with party flags and posters or banners of candidates. The sizes of the portraits and the volume of the publicity material makes it easier to assess who is more wealthy and more friendly with the “managers.”

The main election offices of the candidates, closed down after the assassination of Ms Bhutto, are humming with activity. In addition, the candidates have also opened small offices in streets and bazaars to build up the election tempo.

But majority offices are being managed by candidates themselves even paying for the refreshments offered to regular visitors. In many such offices, stereo decks play political songs to seek attention.

In the Walled City, the PML-N canvassing revolves around personal drive of its candidate to the provincial assembly Salman Rafique. This so because the party’s main candidate to the National Assembly Hamza Shahbaz Sharif stopped visiting the locality after the postponement of election in view of the death of his rival Tariq Bandey.

The situation has encouraged the PML-Q’s Haji Hanif to intensify the canvassing for his son contesting election to a provincial assembly seat.

Khawaja Salman is trying to match Haji Hanif by sending youngsters around the streets who raise slogans in his favour. But Haji Hanif’s group is much more vocal and visible.

Elsewhere in the city the candidates are even funding their receptions and footing the bills of the fireworks displayed on their arrival in a locality.

Many a candidates are engaging women for door-to-door campaigning. Reports indicate that women local body members are leading the canvassing, most of them belong to the PML-Q.

The candidates have also started preparing electoral slips indicating the voters’ names, their vote numbers and the names of the polling stations concerned. These slips would be delivered to people at their homes along with publicity material during the next two days.

The names of the polling agents have also been finalised. They are being trained for the job with the assurance that they will not go missing on the polling day.

In some localities like Jauhar Town, the residents still do mind their business rather than caring for the election. The reason given is that majority of them are living on rent and are registered as voters somewhere else.

Catering and transport services are two areas of attention for the candidates who are engaging them for the polling day to ensure that the prospective voters are fed properly and taken directly to the polling stations.