Emphasis on parliamentary politics pays
The PTI has given a surprise by defeating Siddiq Khan Baloch in NA-154. Contesting as an independent candidate in 2013 Baloch had trounced PTI’s Secretary General, who is also a former federal minister and an industrialist, by more than ten thousand votes. Baloch who was contesting on PML-N ticket this time had the additional advantage of the support of government machinery. What is more, NA-154 is predominantly rural constituency with tribal and caste affiliations and influential political personalities dominating the election politics. The victory of the PTI candidate should boost the party’s morale. The victory shows that the party’s influence is not confined only to the so-called “burger class” in the big cities.
Despite the victory the PTI would do well to realise its shortcomings to improve its electoral performance in days to come. Siddiq Khan Baloch was an ordinary constituency level leader with no oratorical skill or understanding of national politics. Defeating him was also made easier because of the charges levelled against him which led to a lot of negative media coverage. While Baloch enjoyed all out government support, he was no match for a high profile politician who was also a man of considerable means.
It should have been clear to the PTI by now that the ability to pull crowds is not enough to win the elections. To translate Imran Khan’s charisma into votes the party has to work not only in big cities but also in the small towns and rural areas. For this it has to pay more attention to building party apparatus. While the party has a student wing fairly active on the social media, its youthful workers have yet to transform themselves into an efficient election machinery.
The PTI has wasted a lot of its energies in agitational activities in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi without gaining proportionate electoral support in these cities. A greater emphasis on parliamentary politics might bring better dividends.
