The election campaigns of both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the constituency of NA-122 (and PP-147) are in full swing, as they are trying hard to win this much-debated seat.
In this connection, the PTI demonstrated its public strength by holding a procession in the Doongi Ground of Samanabad which was addressed by party chief Imran Khan.
Nevertheless, estimates showed participants from other constituencies outnumbered the voters of NA-122 in this gathering.
A diehard fan of Imran Khan and a software engineering student, 26-year-old Haider Ali told Pakistan Today that his vote was registered in the NA-126 constituency but he had come to support his party for the upcoming by-election. He said he was a supporter of the PML-N till 2010, but the policies of this party compelled him to change his loyalties. Haider, who was wearing a PTI cap, sounded critical of the Metro Bus project of the incumbent government, and said that instead of making investments on roads and bridges, this huge sum of money must have been allocated to the education and health sectors.
Gull Khan, who originally belongs to Mansehra and works at a local restaurant in Lahore, told this scribe that he along with his colleagues had come to get a glimpse of Khan, but regretted that he could not cast his vote since his vote was registered in Mansehra.
Hamza Ali, a matriculation student who appeared very enthusiastic, said he was very dejected because he could not vote because of underage embargo. Aneela Waqar, a student of Mass Communications from Islampura area who was busy in taking selfies, said her vote was registered in the NA-120 constituency but she had come to attend the procession because of the charisma of Imran Khan.
A resident of Railways Station, Sadiq Sheikh, 45, a registered voter in NA-122, told Pakistan Today that he had cast his vote to the PTI in the 2013 general election and would do the same because he wanted to see “change” which, according to him, was the manifesto of the PTI. Sadiq was determined that his party had gained a lot of experience from the last election and had made all preparations to foil the rigging plan of the PML-N this time.
He further said the PTI leadership had assured party workers that their mandate would not be stolen this time. PTI supporters from Gulberg, Kalma Chowk, DHA and even other cities participated in the procession to back their party.
PML-N’s candidate Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has won from this constituency three times. His rival Abdul Aleem Khan is trying hard to win this seat. Earlier in the 2013 general elections, PTI chief Imran Khan had lost by a margin of more than 8,000 votes.
The constituency has 488,529 registered voters: 268,057 male and 220,472 female voters.
