Election campaigns kick off with PTI making waves

With the start of the mandated period for political parties to undertake their election campaign and canvassing, political activities picked up in the provincial capital, promising fierce electoral bouts across the city that will generate huge political activities in the run-up to polls.
The centre stage was the huge rally on Mall Road taken out by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) featuring party chief Imran Khan and many other candidates contesting polls from the historic city that set a tone for campaigning in days to come.
Starting election campaign from Lahore has been a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) tradition and PTI seems to have surprised local political circles, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with the move.
Imran Khan led a rally, comprising cars and bikes, occupied mostly by youths affiliated with the party. The caravan started from the party’s district office at The Mall, and went into various parts of the city. During the course of the rally, Khan inaugurated six party offices at separate points and delivered brief speeches. He also made a short stop at Data Darbar and offered prayers before launching the campaign.
A huge turnout of youth was seen in the rally, highly motivated, waiving party flags and voicing slogans during Khan’s speeches.
Khan said the time to bring real change had come, and urged the youth to play their role and to bring PTI into power. He said both, the PPP and PML-N were responsible for the present state of affairs in the country. He said no amount of gimmicks from Sharifs could keep the youth away from PTI.
He said PTI would not let the same parties come back to power.
Meanwhile, other political parties also kicked off their 20-day election campaign on Saturday, breaking the silence that was earlier being noticed in political circles and constituencies.
Nawaz Sharif, though yet to take a round in Lahore, started the party’s nation-wide campaign through an address at a public meeting in Kasur where he promised real change in the country once voted into power.
Before Nawaz, Shahbaz Sharif spent a considerable time in his constituency NA-129 where an interesting contest is expected between the PML-N leader and Shabbir Mayo of PPP.
Interestingly, the PPP, a major stakeholder in the city has not yet launched its campaign nor has it been decided who, from the central leadership, will lead the party campaign in Lahore.
With PPP not very visible, it appears the city is bracing for a two-party contest between PTI and PML-N.
Political analysts believe the success of PTI’s rally in the city will not only set a tempo for election campaign but also create an air favourable for the party.