ISLAMABAD: Despite a lazy day at the polls, the PML-N seemed to emerge the victor in both by-elections held for vacant posts of union council (UC) chairmen in the Tarnol and Shah Allah Ditta areas of the federal capital.

Although the Election Commission of Pakistan had yet to announce the official result of polling in UCs 48 and 49, even supporters of opposing candidates had admitted defeat by the time this report was filed.

The by-elections were held to fill the posts left vacant after Syed Zeeshan Ali Naqvi and Azam Khan were elected deputy mayors of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI).

The PML-N candidate in UC-48 (Tarnol), Ghazanfar Ali Khan, is the brother of deputy mayor Azam Khan.

Opposing candidates concede defeat after a relaxed day at the polls

But according to ECP guidelines, the deputy mayor was not allowed to set foot in the constituency for canvassing ahead of the polls.

“There is serious activity in my constituency, but I’m here in Attock,” he told Dawn over the phone.

But it didn’t matter. The PTI candidate in the constituency, Malik Mohammad Imtiaz, had a hard time assembling voters. “It’s a working day, many people have private jobs and there are a large number of contractors and daily wage labourers living here who could not afford to take a day off to cast their vote,” said Mr Imtiaz, trying to justify the low turnout of his supporters.

The UC-48 constituency borders Taxila tehsil and includes the areas of Sangjani, Sarai Kharbooza and parts of Tarnol.

In UC-49 (Shah Allah Ditta), which elected Ansar Aziz as their chairman in the last local government elections, there was initially some momentum behind independent candidate Malik Jamshed Ali. With backing from the PTI, PPP and some dissident factions of the PML-N, locals thought that he would easily win the election.

On Saturday, polling was held in Pind Sangral, Shah Allah Ditta, Sri Saral, Bhekar Fateh Bakhsh and Bhekar Akku.

Throughout the day, PML-N candidate Syed Zaki Haider Shah and party workers seemed to be reassuring themselves and their supporters that they would win, as people normally voted for the incumbent party, reasoning that they had the best chance of getting things done.

The independent candidate was viewed as a favourite since he had also been backed by former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who had recently visited the UC and expressed his best wishes for Mr Ali.

Malik Afzal, who contested in the last local government election on a PTI ticket, told Dawn that they had decided to have a consensus candidate so that the anti-PML-N vote was not divided.

But PML-N worker Mohammad Irfan explained that Mr Gilani had merely visited a village located outside the UC, and had been invited to the area by Mr Ali’s supporters. He predicted that the former PM’s visit wouldn’t affect the outcome of the elections.

Tariq Munawar, presiding officer at Ward I, told Dawn ballot papers had reached on time and there were no problems during the polling exercise.

“Polling was much easier this time compared to the last local government elections. Then, each voter had seven ballot papers, but this time there was only one ballot paper. Moreover Rangers, Frontier Corps and police personnel were on hand to address any issue,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2016