FAISALABAD, Oct 3: An urban constituency, the NA-84 is dominated by lower and lower middle classes where the real contest will be among the candidates of the PPP, PML-N and MP.

In all, nine candidates are in the run, including ex-MPA Badaruddin Chaudhry (PPP), Abid Sher Ali, son of ex-MNA Sher Ali (PML-N), ex-MPA Fazal Hussain Rahi (MP). The PML-QA is supporting the MP candidate.

This constituency comprises areas, including Peoples Colony No 2, Maqbool Road, Sarfraz Colony, Dogranwan Road, Karamatabad, Younas Town, Malkhanwala, Shadipura, Allama Iqbal Colony, Elahiabad, Rehmat Colony, Rasool Park and Shalimar Park.

PPP’s Badaruddin Chaudhry has been a diehard party supporter for the last three decades. He contested the 1990 and 1993 elections from provincial assembly seats and won in 1993. In 1997, he was not awarded the ticket from any constituency. He has a good votebank of his Kumhar biradari in the area.

PML-N’s Abid Sher Ali is a newcomer who is relying on the votebank of his father. His father, Sher Ali, had recently been released by court after three years of imprisonment on corruption charges. Amir Sher Ali, another son of Sher Ali, who was the mayor of the defunct FMC, is facing corruption charges.

Fazal Hussain Rahi of the MP entered the political arena in 1979 when he contested elections for a councillor and defeated Sher Ali with the PPP support. He also won the 1985 partyless elections. In 1988, he contested the elections on the PPP ticket and defeated IJI’s Abdul Qayyum Awan.

In 1990, Rahi again contested the elections on the PPP platform, but he lost to Mian Zahid Sarfraz. In 1993, he was again the PPP nominee and was defeated by Khawaja Muhammad Islam of the PML-N. In 1997, the PPP ignored Rahi due to which he contested independently and could secure 4,587 votes.

Mr Rahi joined the Millat Party in Aug, 2002, and became the party’s Punjab secretary-general.