LAHORE: The ruling party’s trusted hands are entering the race ahead of the upcoming by-elections in Punjab, and the bigwigs who lost their seats in the general elections are not particularly interested in contesting for the seats left empty by senior leadership.
On April 21, by-elections are set to take place in Punjab for two National Assembly seats and twelve provincial assembly seats. Eleven seats—nine provincial assembly and two NA seats—were left empty by PML-N leaders or candidates who received support from the party in order to keep their other seats.
With the exception of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who kept her provincial assembly seat and gave up her NA-119 seat in Lahore, most provincial assembly seats were given up in order to keep National Assembly seats.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif resigned from the other National Assembly seat in the province, NA 132 Kasur. He also resigned from his provincial assembly seats, PP-158 and PP-164 in Lahore.
PP-149 Lahore (V), which was given up by PML-N-backed IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan; PP-147 Lahore (3), given up by Hamza Shehbaz; PP-139 Sheikhupura (V), given up by Rana Tanveer Hussain; PP-32 Gujrat, given up by PML-N-backed PML-Q candidate Chaudary Salik Hussain; PP-22 Talagang, given up for grabs; PP-290 DG Khan, given up by Sardar Awais Khan Leghari; and PP-54, given up for grabs.
Elections at PP-266 Rahim Yar Khan were postponed due to a candidate’s passing.
PTI candidate Amir Inayat Shahani vacated PP-93 Bhakkar (v), whereas Muhammad Amad Chatha of the PTI, who chose to keep his National Assembly seat NA-66, vacated PP-36 Wazirabad.
The ruling party does not appear to be in a rush to assign tickets, with both the Center and Punjabi governments enjoying a solid majority. The party has plenty of time to reveal these tickets, and there are still ten days left to assign party emblems.
Although the PML-N may not have officially issued their tickets, several candidates have already received promises from the party, according to a number of party heavyweights, including three ministers who are now serving in Punjab.
It was disclosed that Malik Rasheed, a relative of Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, is scheduled to run from NA-132, and that Ali Pervez Malik, the late PML-N leader Pervez Malik’s son, will run from NA-119.
It is anticipated that Nawaz Jutt will run for PP-158 Lahore and former MPA Akhtar Hussain will run for PP-164 Lahore. Sources claim that both of them have met with Shehbaz Sharif.
IPP leader Muhammad Shoaib Saddique is probably going to get the ticker for PP-149 Lahore, which was left empty by IPP president and Federal Minister Aleem Khan.
The brother of Rana Tanveer, Rana Aftab, is anticipated to run from PP-139 Sheikhupura, and Ahmad Iqbal, the Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s son, is most likely to receive the ticket for PP-54 Narowal.
Salik Hussain, a federal minister and head of the PML-Q, left the PP-32 Gujrat, and his cousin Musa Elahi will now take it.
Leaders of the PML-N who had notched up victories in the February 8 elections expressed no desire to contest for the seats left by their colleagues in the party. However, a number of relatives of the people who had first won the seats are rumored to be in the running.
Ali Ahmad Khan Leghari, Sardar Awais Khan Leghari’s nephew, is guaranteed a ticket from PP-290 DG Khan.
There were earlier rumors that former MPA Malik Shehbaz might receive a ticket for PP-147, the seat left empty by Hamza Shehbaz. But there have been rumors lately that the party is reconsidering its choices.
Former interior minister Rana Sanaullah, Malik Riaz, and Chaudhary Shehbaz are among the group of figures rumored to be in the running.
Party heavyweights like Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Javed Latif, and Khurram Dastagir reportedly had the chance to run for two NA seats but expressed no interest in doing so since they did not want to be a part of this compromised government.
According to a source, even Rana Sanaullah had first expressed no desire to run in the by-elections.
When asked why his name was being considered for a PP-147, he claimed not to be aware of this development directly. According to a second source, these powerful people are trying to avoid this situation because they think the establishment has cornered the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.
He asserted that Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz, was involved in the plot to corner the prime minister of the PML-N.
