LAHORE - The Punjab government is mulling increase in the seats of Lahore Deputy Mayors to 13 from the current nine in order to accommodate more elected representatives of the party in the local government set up.
Not only the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore but option to increase the number of seats of vice chairmen at the level of the Municipal Corporations in the province is also actively under study by the PML-N Punjab government.
Sources say that it is also being considered that the seats of the Deputy Mayors should also be enhanced as the party is in comfortable position to appoint its candidates at the top seats in Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and other districts.
Sources say that provincial law ministry has been assigned the task which will also work out the procedure to transact on increasing the number of seats.
Lahore district has 13 National Assemblies seats from which 12 were won by the PML-N in the last general elections. So Lahore envisaged nine zones under the existing Local Government which are likely to be increased to 13, which means each NA constituency have share in upper slots and will get it own assembly at the local level.
Sources say so far, Lahore Metropolitan Corporation is focus for increasing the number of seats and the PML-N leadership will take up the matter of increasing seats in other districts in the second round after a week.
By increasing the number of seats at second tier, sources says, the party will not only be able to plug the possibility of rift in the party which surfaced during the two phases of election but it will also manage to accommodate the independents which in a huge number are poised to join the party.
They say the option of giving to the party MNAs a bridge like role between the local body and the government in addressing public problems is also under consideration.
Sources say at the party level process is on to receive forms for the party ticket for the slot of Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor, Deputy Mayors, Chairmen and Vice Chairmen District Council, Chairmen and Vice Chairmen Municipal Corporation and special seats.
The forms will be received till November 30 for the first phase of elections which took place in the 12 districts of Punjab on October 31. The names of the suitable candidates for the party tickets will be decided by a 20-member board headed by Chief Minister and Punjab President of the PML-N Shahbaz Sharif.
Sources say the process of finalizing names for the candidates on the top slots will commence immediately after November 30 which will follow that of the elected in second phase.
Sources say for Lord Mayorship of Lahore Metropolitan Corporation, so far two have applied for the ticket and they are former MNA and Lord Mayor of Lahore Khwaja Ahmad Hassan and cousin of Nawaz Sharif Arif Hameed Butt. They say for the seat of Duty Lord Moyer about 40 people have applied for the ticket and this number is expected to go up in the final count.