Though the PPP and PML-Q have made seat adjustments for over 300 provincial and National Assembly seats, the focus of their cooperation will be none other than Punjab, the largest province of the country with parliamentary strength that can make difference at the time of formation of government in Pakistan.
According to sources, both parties have agreed on seat adjustment for over 200 provincial seats in Punjab. The two parties will also cooperate on over 100 National Assemblies’ constituencies from all over the country.
The basic aim and underlying strategy behind this massive cooperation between the PPP and PML-Q is nothing but to defeat the PML-N and if not, at least deprive it of majority to form the government in the province after elections this May, party sources said.
According to PML-Q leader Kamil Ali Agha, cooperation between the two parties on such a scale was a record in Pakistan, where two parties never cooperated for more than a dozen of seats ever.
Interestingly, another key player in the Punjab, PTI is also hoping to dent the vote bank of Sharifs.
The PPP’s main purpose behind roping in the PML-Q was to bolster its political fortunes in Punjab, where individually it would be difficult for the former ruling party to repeat its past performance.
Meanwhile, on the remaining seats, especially for National Assembly, candidates from both parties would be on their own and will be free to take decision per local dynamics.
Pper the seat adjustment between the two parties, winner of last election would get nomination and support from both parties, barring a few exceptions.
In constituencies where there is no winner from the PPP or PML-Q, the runner up would be the candidate of choice.
It has been also learnt that to enhance cooperation between the two parties, committees have been formed at the local level.
Both parties have not yet decided whether they would address public meeting or rallies together. However, it has been observed that both parties have begun their cooperation at the local level.
If a PPP candidate is contesting from NA seat and his partner from PML-Q from provincial seat, both were moving in the constituency hand-in-hand.
These committees have been formed after the recently-held by-elections in the province when both the PPP and PML-Q candidates suffered losses due to lack of cooperation.
