After the by-elections

Electorates’ message for all contesting entities

The voting pattern in the by-elections was by and large the same as on May 11. There were, however, indications of a marginal decline in the fortunes of the PML-N and the PTI that these parties can ill afford to ignore. The PML-N once again topped the electoral race by winning 18 of the 39 National and provincial assembly seats. The party also deprived the PTI of NA-71 Mianwali seat won by Imran Khan in the general elections. It failed however to win any constituency outside Punjab, which would encourage its critics to once again remind it that it remains a Punjabi party. The by-elections also exposed some of the PML-N weaknesses in its traditional stronghold. The party lost three seats that it had won in the general elections, two to the PTI and one to PPP. Particularly embarrassing for the party was the loss of the Rajanpur seat which was won by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in May. That the PTI lost two National Assembly seats, one in Mianwali and the other in Peshawar constitutes a huge setback. The debacle at NA-1 Peshawar, where Imran Khan had won with a thumping majority only three months back should make the party leadership to undertake some soul-searching.

Did the PML-N and the PTI suffered the setbacks on account of their short incumbency or complacency in the choice of candidates due to overconfidence or factional infighting, or all these factors combined? Whatever the reason the two parties need to realise that in politics, as in any competitive vocation, one cannot rest on one’s laurels. There is thus demonstrated a need to improve governance, practice greater democracy inside the party and give greater weight to the opinion of the second tier leadership. The election results brought only a faint hope to the PPP and the ANP. A PPP woman candidate knocked out a veteran PML-F stalwart in NA-235 Sanghar, indicating that its vote bank in Sindh was yet not affected by the incumbency factor. The party had earlier pulled the rug from under the Sindhi nationalists by enacting the old local government bill. The party also won an NA seat in Punjab and retrieved a provincial seat it had lost in May in Okara. The ANP won back the NA seat from Peshawar and also a provincial seat underlining the party’s and its workers’ resilience and courage in the face of terrorist threats. Both the PPP and the ANP would however have to work extra hard to be anywhere near the corridors of power in the next five years.

The by-election is finally over. The PM who is overburdened with numerous portfolios that include defence, foreign affairs, law and justice and communications can now induct new ministers to share the responsibilities. This will allow him to concentrate fully on issues that need his attention – like terrorism and improvement of relations with India and Afghanistan.