AS major political parties are in the process of finalising lists of their candidates for the Senate elections due on March 4, most of them seem bogged down by intra-party wrangling. The PPP announced its candidates on Wednesday after the list was formally approved by President Asif Ali Zardari, who reportedly cleared the names of the contestants from Sindh after due consultation with the MQM leadership. For the NWFP, a formula had been worked out according to which the PPP and the ANP agreed to distribute five seats each between themselves while the remaining one seat was left to be contested by the JUI(F). But the PPP could not make a similar arrangement with the PML(N) in the Punjab and worse still is the case of the PML(Q) which has not been able to get itself aligned with either of the two mainstream parties despite its leadership's best efforts. The PML(Q), until Tuesday, could only finalise the name of Ch Shujaat Hussain as a contestant from Punjab and remained undecided whether a seat for a technocrat be given to Mushahid Hussain Syed or Kamil Ali Agha. Following its defeat in the last general elections, the party has been facing internal rifts making its leadership uncertain about its prospects in the Senate polls. Even Ch Shujaat and Ch Pervaiz Elahi are not on the same page on whether they should form an alliance with the PPP or the PML(N), and this difference of opinion at the top seems to have trickled down, with half the party favouring alliance with the PPP and the remaining half with the PML(N). The Chaudhry cousins' dilemma is that neither of them is in a position to assert their view, as their colleagues are unhappy with the way they ran the party while in power. The PML(N) is also divided into hawk-versus-dove camps. But those who want to avoid confrontation with the PPP have little say compared to the likes of Ch Nisar Ali Khan, who seems to be pushing Mian Nawaz Sharif to the point of no return on the issue of the reinstatement of the deposed judges. It is difficult to say whether the party leadership would be able to overcome the problem, especially when the hawk-dove divide has made any reconciliation move unfeasible. There are some signals about the PML(N) leadership gradually withdrawing its support to the lawyers' long march scheduled for March 9. This could help the two mainstream parties normalise relations and start pursuing their public service agenda in line with the Charter of Democracy they had earlier signed. But for that, the PML(N) leadership will have to be wary of the activities of those of its members who are trying to destabilise the system.