LAHORE - None of the 22 candidates fielded by different religious parties at Lahore’s 14 National Assembly seats seems playing any decisive role in the polls going to be held on Wednesday.

Their impression is considered as of spoilers in victory or defeat of PTI or PML-N candidates. However, the ground situation is quite different from that of the claims made earlier that they could play decisive role in many constituencies. They have so far been unsuccessful to portray any kind of such image in the election battlefield.

Locals, who were contacted by The Nation to know the actual scenario, ruled out that candidates of religious parties and particularly of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) could make significant gains in the upcoming elections.

They were of the view that religious parties candidates and particularly of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), were not going to win support of even 5,000 voters from any constituency.

The PPP is, however, considered in a three way contest at only one seat where Bhuttos’ old guard Samina Khalid Ghurki is contesting against PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PTI’s Mansha Sandhu.

Of the total 22 candidates in Lahore, 13 are fielded by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) of Allama Khadim Rizvi, 12 by Muttahida Majlise Amal (an alliance of Jamaat-i-Islami, JUI-F, JUP-Imam Noorani, Markazi Jamiat Ahlehadith and Tehreek-i-Islami), four by Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek (AAT) which is being backed by Milli Muslim League (an offshoot of Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa) and one by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an alliance of around one dozen Sunni/Brailvi parties led by Sahibzada Fazal Karim.

In NA-123, the TLP has fielded Latif Khan Saraa, MMA Abdul Wadood Khan and AAT Tauseef Khan. Hamayoun is contesting as independent from the seat where the main contest is believed between PML-N’s Malik Riaz and PTI’s Wajid Azeem.

The TLP’s Sumera Noreen, MMA’s Muhammad Afzal are candidates from NA-124 where main contest is considered between PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz and PTI’s Nauman Qaiser. PPP’s Babu Zaheer has announced to withdraw in favour of PTI candidate. Pak Sarzameen Party’s Asim Irshad and TLP’s Muhammad Azm Waheed are also candidates from the constituency. The AAT has not fielded any candidate in area.

The JI’s outspoken leader Hafiz Salman Butt, though, is candidate of MMA from NA-125 but seems nowhere in the main contest between PML-N’s Waheed Alam and PTI’s Dr Yasmin Rashid. AAT has launched Yaqoob Sheikh and TLP Maimoona Hamid from the area. PPP’s Zubair Kardar and PSP’s Samia Naz are also in the run for the seat. Zaeem Qadri is an independent candidate on Jeep symbol from NA-125.

In NA-126, PTI’s Hammad Azhar (son of Punjab former governor Mian Azhar) is main rival of PML-N’s Mehar Ishtiaq though TLP’s Waqas Ahmed and PPP’s Aurangzeb Barki and All Pakistan Muslim League’s Ch Ashraf are also vying for the election. MMA and AAT have not launched any candidate.

MMA has fielded Rashid Khan, TLP Muhammad Zaheer and AAT Mian Amir Abbas from NA-127 where PTI’s Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and PML-N backed independent Ali Parvez are main contestants. PPP has fielded Adnan Sarwar and APML Ch Ilyas from the area.

The TLP left vacant NA-128 where Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali is a candidate of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Islam (TLI). Dr Asharf and Allama Rizvi jointly headed Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasoolallah (TLYR) but parted ways some two years ago due to emergence of political differences between them. TLP and TLI are political wings of unregistered TLYR. PML-N’s Sheikh Rohail and PTI’s Ijaz Ahmed are main contestants from the constituency and Dr Ashraf doesn’t seem in the contest though he has been running an important religious seminary in the area for years. MMA fielded Manzoor Hussain and PPP Zafar Ali Shah for the seat.

The TLP has fielded Muhammad Yousaf while MMA is supporting Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of PML-N from NA-129 against PTI’s Abdul Aleem Khan. The JI which is now part of MMA had also supported Ayaz in by-polls held in constituency few months ago in area. PPP’s Iftikhar Shahid, National Party’s Kishawar Bano and Hamyoun Akhtar are also in the race as independents.

JI’s secretary general Liaquat Baloch is contesting from NA-130 where the main contest is considered between PTI’s Shafqat Mahmood and PML-N’s Khawaja Ahmed Hassan. The JI, though, is trying its best to enter in three way contest and it recently launched an aggressive campaign against Shafaqt on Khatme Nabuwwat (finality of prophet-hood) issue, but so far, according to locals, his position is too weak to be considered in main contestants. Liaquat had secured around 2,000 votes in 2013’s general election from the same constituency.

PSP’s Yamin Awan, Pakistan Freedom Movement’s Haroon Khawaja, Pakistan Qumi Yakjehti Party’s Abubakar and PPP’s Mumtaz Khalid are also candidates for the seat.

The TLP has fielded Syed Murtaza Hassan and MMA Waqar Nadeem Warraich from NA-131 where PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PML-N stalwart Khawaja Saad Rafique are main candidates. Pakistan Brabri Party’s Jawad Ahmed, PML-Q’s Zeba Ehsan, Sunni Ittehad Council’s Tahir Aslam, PPP’s Asim Mahmood, Pakistan Justice and Demoratic Party’s Muhammad Mudassar and Hamayoun Akhtar independent are also candidates from NA-131.

The TLP’s Amjad Naeem, MMA’s Haider Ali and TLI’s Muhammad Nawaz are candidates from NA-132 where the contest is believed among PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, PTI’s Mansha Sandhu and PPP’s Samina Khalid Ghurki. APML’s Sajjad Hussain, Jamhori Watan Party’s Mian Rashid and Jawad Ahmed are also contesting from the area.

The TLP’s Matloob Ahmed and MMA’s Iftikhar Ahmed are contesting from NA-133 where PTI’s Ijaz Chaudhry and PML-N’s Parvez Malk are in neck and neck contest. Waqif Tehmasab Kiyani of APML, Aslam Gill of PPP, Nauman Qureshi of Brabri Party and Syed Zaeem Qadri are also in the field from NA-133.

Malik Zaheer of PTI and Rana Mubashir of PML-N are main rivals in NA-134. TLP has fielded Muhammad Khan Shehki, MMA Aneela Batool and AAT Zulfiqar Ali in area. Zaeem Qadri is also contesting as independent candidate from NA-134. APML has fielded Syed Faqeer Hussain and PPP Sohail Afzal Awan in area.

JI’s central leader Ameerul Azeem is contesting from NA-135 where PML-N’s Malik Saiful Malook and PTI’s Malik Karamat are in tough contest. The TLP has fielded Ahmed Majeed in area while Amjad Ali and Gohar Ali are candidates of PPP and PSP respectively.

The TLP’s Ahmed Majeed is also contesting from NA-136, the last constituency of Lahore, where the main contest is believed between PTI’s Malik Asad Ali and PML-N’s Malk Afzal. Nizam Din is MMA candidate from area. The PPPP fielded Jamil Ahmed and PPP-Shaheed Bhutto Ch Ahmed Hussain and Sardar Adil Umar and Sardar Kamil Umar are independent  candidates from NA-136.