Ahmed Qaqas
According to local analysts, most “electives” from southern Punjab will leave the PTI, and the PTI will have to select new candidates for more than 150 seats in the national and provincial assemblies. Now the most critical question is, will the PTI be able to bring so many more and better candidates from southern Punjab?
In southern Punjab, the Baloch chiefs, feudal lords and peers are the “electives”. In the political history of Pakistan, these electives have consistently been winning in South Punjab. In the 2018 elections, the PTI also won through these electives. Furthermore, Usman Bazdar was elected as Chief Minister of Punjab. Moreover, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khusro Bakhtiar, Hashim Johan Bakht, Mohsin Laghari, Ali Darshak, Dost Mazari, and many others were also awarded to the federal and provincial ministries.
In southern Punjab, resistance to the feudal system has been going on for a long time, but political parties have always come to support the electives contrary to public wishes. According to the Republican policy’s March 2023 constituency survey, the PTI is the most popular party in southern Punjab. In addition, no other party is popular, but electives are popular. Therefore, the real competition is between the PTI and the electives. Even second-level electives can win for the PTI in southern Punjab. Even if all the electives leave the PTI, the competition will still be between the PTI and the electives. However, the PTI needs to be organized as a party. Aun Abbas Bappi, who is the president of southern Punjab, has not played any role in organizing the PTI but has been the one to gather all the electives of other parties. Now that the electives are leaving the party, his performance as head of the party in South Punjab has been disappointing and damaging.
There is also news about Usman Bazdar that he is joining the PPP. According to local analysts, a large number of electives are inclined towards the PPP as rumours are active that Bilawal Bhutto might be the new prime minister. Therefore, electives tend to PPPP. Some electives also want to contest elections as independent positions. On the contrary, it would not be unfounded to say that the political parties could see the electives of southern Punjab as bounty. One of the features of the constituencies of southern Punjab is that there are many electives in every constituency so that every party will get electable, including the PTI; therefore, PTI will be in a position to win.
Finally, without the electives, the PTI will remain in the competition, and a better election campaign and organization can win the political front of southern Punjab. Pakistan Muslim League -N is not in competition except in the constituencies where it has electives. The Peoples Party will also rely on electives. Ultimately, the most critical decision will be with the people of southern Punjab, who choose their representatives. In the politics of southern Punjab, the party that seems to be forming the government gets more votes as people have to get their functions done out of government. Therefore, it can be said that the elections in southern Punjab will be of great interest.
