An epic political battle
For a layman, the political aggression and maneuvering to win over NA–120 might give an impression of general elections, however, the latter being merely a by-election may take them as a surprise. Rarely is a by-election, anywhere in the country, host to such political zeal and fervour as NA-120. The ring’s vicinity is cluttered with political banners, slogans, and images. The public is all charged up, and ready to cast their vote for their sought after political leader and party.
But why is a by-election such a hot debate talked about all over by the media? The answer is simple. A King’s abdication from the throne does not devalue the throne.
The NA-120 seat became vacant amid the disqualification of the ex-prime minister, and the leader of PML-N, Mian Nawaz Sharif through a judgment passed by the apex court over corruption allegations. As the prime minister hailed from the constituency, its by-election is of paramount importance for all political parties, particularly for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) as it was the prime force to drive the PM through to his disqualification, and want to win over this significant part of Lahore to re-assert its political fame, strength and rise in Punjab. For PML-N, with the departure of Mian Nawaz Sharif, finding a suitable replacement to contest the by-elections from this constituency was a tough ask. Keeping in mind the element of inherent politics in our political structure, it was expected that a Sharif will eventually be replaced by a Sharif, since this political brand enjoys a strong presence among the general public, despite the Supreme courts’ decision.
The much talked about NA-120 by-election is significant not only because the ex-prime minister made his way to the National Assembly through the former, but also because for PML-N and PTI both, this election is imperative to determine and exhibit their political strength, and to prove themselves as the peoples champion.
The battle will be epic, indeed, and will determine the future political course the country will take in the next general elections.
And in the corners are?
Approximately 65 candidates are in the race to contest NA-120 by-election, however, the real competition is expected to come down to only a few. To speak of these few, let’s briefly review the profiles of candidates competing.
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sahrif, finally emerged as the main candidate from the ruling party PML-N following a marathon of discussions and thorough analysis by the party leadership. The 67 year old former first lady, granddaughter of the very famous Gama Pehelwan (Ghulam Muhammad) did her graduation from Forman Christian College, and later went on to do Masters from Punjab University. Kulsoom remained at a distance from politics until the military took over from Nawaz Sharif’s second tenure of governance. While recently she has undergone a surgery in London, her daughter Maryam Nawaz has led the election campaign in NA-120 on her behalf.
The competition is led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI’s) Dr Yasmin Rashid, a qualified and experienced medical professional, now into national politics. Dr Yasmin did her MBBS from Fatima Jinnah Medical University in Lahore, and went on to attend the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in London. She joined PTI in 2010, and since then has remained on a front foot in her political activities. During 2013 general elections, Yasmin secured around 52,000 votes while contesting against Mian Nawaz Sharif from the same constituency.
Following the aforementioned two contenders is Faisal Mir from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Advocate Ziauddin Ansari from Jamaat-e-Islami, and Ishtiaq Chaudhry from Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). A majority of remaining candidates is contesting the by-election on independent basis.
The real competition, however, experts believe in this by-election is expected to be between the first two candidates i.e. Begum Kulsoom Nawaz (PML-N), and Dr. Yasmin Rashid (PTI).
A must win!
The much talked about by-election’s significance is not only limited to replacing the ex-PM from the constituency, but to establish a political superiority in Lahore, Punjab, and the country’s overall political scenario at large.
The two main contenders comprising of the ruling party PML-N and the opposing PTI have made tall claims about the public’s opinion in favor of their cause, and it is essential for both to win over NA-120 in order to prove their point right.
For PML-N, in particular, winning over NA-120 is of paramount importance as the party’s political repute is on the line, since many political analysts and experts believe that the departure of PM Nawaz has sabotaged the party image, and their public following graph is expected to see a decline. The ruling party, none the less, has been busy claiming otherwise.
The PTI, on the other hand, is optimistic to have been elevated in the public’s eyes amid the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Panama Papers case, and is eyeing to win-over the by-election.
No matter what the case, for both the parties, in order to prove their self-proclaimedpoliticalsuperiority over the other, winning is the only workable option.
Electoral campaigning and surveys
The political temperature of NA-120 is at a high rise with the constituency decorated with portraits of contestants, political banners, and campaigns. Off all the candidates, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz (being represented by her daughter Maryam Nawaz) and Dr Yasmin Rashid have remained the most active in electoral campaigning.
Surveys conducted thus far by Gallup Pakistan and Pulse Consultants in NA-120, however, suggest that Kulsoom Nawaz is likely to win the by-election, as the ruling party PML-N still enjoys support of majority public in the constituency. A similar opinion was shared by seasoned politician Javed Hashmi while talking to media personnel. Hashmi also expressed his support for Kulsoom Nawaz. NA-120 has always remained a stronghold of PML-N, and so pinning the lion in its den will be a difficult task for Dr Yasmin and PTI. The latter has, however, accused the former of investing public money on their election campaign, a blame the former has turned down.
The stage is all set, now let’s see who takes NA-120.
