LAHORE - The PML-N appears to be in the election gear as it has sought applications from prospective candidates for award of party tickets for the upcoming elections.
It has given two-week time to party men to process their applications on prescribed forms which can be had from party’s central and provincial offices. March 5 has been fixed as the cut off date for the purpose.
Party men are expecting a large number of applications this time around owing to the anticipated tight scrutiny of candidates by the Election Commission under Articles, 62, 63 and 218 of the Constitution. Political parties will have to field more than one candidates as ‘covering candidates’ to ensure presence of their nominees in the election arena.  
As per party sources, some key decisions regarding award of party tickets to the PPP and PML-Q turncoats, new and old, would be taken in the coming weeks. Barring a few, majority of the PML-Q legislators who formed a forward bloc in Punjab Assembly against their parent party in the very beginning would also get the PML-N tickets.  
A source in the PML-N told TheNation that party high-ups would award tickets to the candidates in the light of a constituency-wise study conducted one year back. It is based on reports from party men and the provincial intelligence apparatus, also detailing weak and strong pockets in different constituencies.
As the time for elections is drawing near, the party is also planning to intensify its election campaign in Punjab and elsewhere. Hunt for more ‘electables’ from other parties is also part of the campaign. Influential party leaders have been tasked to do the necessary homework in this regard. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah’s statement warning Chaudhrys’ of Gujrat to get ready for more ‘shocks’ is meaningful in this context.