RAHIM YAR KHAN: The PML-N which has so far not finalised its candidate for NA-175 may support independent candidate former PPP federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi.

Front runners for this seat are PTI’s Makhdoom Mubeen and PPP’s Khawaja Qutab Fareed Koreja.

Hailing from Liaquatpur, Makhdoom Mubeen was elected last year vice-chairman of the RY Khan district council from the PML-N platform but he joined the PTI last month along with his father veteran politician Makhdoom Ahmed Alam Anwar. In the last general election the seat was won by Koreja.

Kazmi who hails from Multan has significant spiritual following in the area.

For NA-176, the PML-N has issued ticket to former MNA Shiekh Fayyazuddin who was earlier annoyed with candidates of his wings Ijaz Shafi from PP-257 and Mian Islam Aslam from PP-260 and was not ready to accept the ticket. When PML-N did not issue ticket to Ijaz Shafi, Fayyaz agreed to contest the election on the PML-N ticket accepting Aslam under his wing from Liaqatpur.

Initially Makhdoom Khusroo Bakhtiar of PTI had submitted his nomination papers from this constituency but later he withdrew and gave the PTI ticket to Mian Muhammad Ghous while PPP issued ticket to Major Tanveer Hussain Syed. A tough contest is expected between PML-N and PTI for NA-176. Political observers think that Ijaz Shafi from PP-260 and his cousin Chaudhry Azhar from NA-176, contesting as independent, may harm the PML-N.

In NA-177, PPP has fielded former federal finance minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin against Makhdoom Khusroo Bakhtiar of PTI and Makhdoom Ammaduddin of PML-N.

Awami Raj Party’s Jamshaid Dasti is also an independent candidate from this seat. Many voters of this constituency are annoyed with Bakhtiar on the issue of sugarcane permits and support price since he was part of the former ruling party. His position improved during the last few days when district council vice chairman Makhdoom Alambardar Hashmi, belonging to PML-N, joined the Bakhtiar group. Similarly, eight UC chairmen belonging to PPP also announced their support for Khusroo Bakhtiar. His major rival is Makhdoom Shahab.

NA-178 is the native constituency of former Punjab governor and PPP southern Punjab president Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood where his son Makhdoom Mustafa Mehmood is contesting from PPP ticket while PTI has fielded Raees Mehboob Ahmed and PML-N candidate is Muhammad Tariq.

Mustafa Mehmood is being considered a strong candidate in this constituency because of his personal influence in the area.

An important constituency of the district is NA-179 of RYK city and southern rural areas where voters are divided among Biradris, locals and settlers. The PML-N has issued ticket to its former MNA Mian Imtiaz Ahmed, PTI has fielded former PPP MNA Javed Iqbal Warriach while PPP has issued its ticket to PML-N city president Mian Aamir Shahbaz who joined the PPP last month.

PML-N claims launching many development projects in the city but the main project of central city, Abbasia railway flyover, is yet to be completed due to funds shortage. Similarly, a mega sewerage project worth Rs 4 billion launched some nine years ago has failed to address citizens’ concerns. There are many technical problems in the newly-completed building of the Sheikh Zayed Medical College.

PPP’s candidate Mian Aamir Shahbaz alleges that every third person in this constituency has faced not only fake FIRs from the PML-N candidate but also land grab by the ex-MNA was a common practice.In NA-180, the contest is among Makhdoom Murtaza Mehmood of PPP, Sardar Rafiq Haider Leghari of PTI and Sardar Arshad Khan Leghari of PML-N. The Leghari clan vote will be divided between the PML-N and PTI.

Independent candidate Nadeem Abbas Cheema has significant political influence in city and southern villages of Sadiqabad tehsil. He also enjoys the support of Raees clan from Bhong.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2018