SIALKOT-The electioneering is gaining momentum in LA-32 constituency for July-21 general elections of AJK with active involvement of state machinery and local bodies representatives supporting the PML-N.
Meanwhile, the PPP and PTI candidates have accused the PML-N government of using the official machinery for running the election campaign of PML-N candidate. Neck and neck contest is expected between PML-N, PPP and PTI here. The recently elected chairman, vice chairman and councilors of the urban and rural union councils are running the election campaign of the PML-N candidate, after getting the special tasks by the party leadership.
Total six candidates are in this electoral race, as the mainstream political parties namely PML-N, PPP and PTI have brought their old faces for the purpose due to their political worth, goodwill and personal vote bank. PML-N candidate Ch Ishaq, PPP’s Shaukat Wazir Ali and PTI’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza are the former members of the Legislative Assembly.
Three independent candidates Ch Suhail Gujjar, Ch Naseer and Ch Humayoun Afzal are also contesting. Now, these rival candidates are striving to defeat each other. They are going door to door to lure their voters and supporters by arranging the mango parties.
Due to the prevailing electioneering in this constituency, PML-N, PPP and PTI are claiming to give very hard time to one another. In 2011 AJK general elections, the PML-N’s Ch Ishaq had won from this constituency by defeating PPP’s Ch Shaukat Wazir and Muslim Conference’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza, former AJK minister for transport and religious affairs, with majority of votes.
According to the independent political observers, most of the constituency (LA-32 Jammu-Sialkot) consists on most of the urban areas of Sialkot city, which had ever been the very strong hold of the PML-N. The PML-N had won 21 seats of chairmen of union councils out of total 24 seats of Sialkot city by knocking out PTI and PPP during December 05, 2015 local bodies’ elections held here.
There are total 137,135 registered voters in the constituency in 2011 AJK general elections, which have now been reduced to only 92,133 votes for July 21, 2016 elections by AJK Election Commission after the proper verification of the voter lists.
There are total 54,672 male voters and 37,461 female voters in the constituency for which the AJK Election Commission will establish 132 polling stations. The Kashmiri people residing in five constituencies of the provincial assembly will cast their votes.
Federal Minister for Defence, Water and Power Khawaja Asif, MNA Rana Shamim Ahmed, MPAs, the chairmen of the most of the urban and rural union councils are supporting the PML-N candidate and running his election campaign in Sialkot city and its outskirts.
PPP’s stalwart Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, former federal information minister, is supporting PPP’s candidate Shaukat Wazir Ali. PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan had addressed a big public meeting at Sialkot city’s congested Allama Iqbal Chowk locality on July 08, 2016 in favour of Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
Bajwat-based former speaker of National Assembly Ameer Hussain, who had flown to the PTI camps by leaving PML-Q, is now supporting PTI’s candidate Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
The PPP and PTI candidates said that all the MPAs have been given special tasks of rigging during July 21 elections. They urged the AJK Election Commission to depute the army troops at all the polling stations to halt pre-poll rigging by the PML-N.