Lahore celebrates by-elections

LAHORE
A nail-biting neck and neck contest between PTI and PML-N in the NA-122 and PP-147 bye-election is, perhaps, the most sophisticated controlled and decent electoral exercise ever taken place in the provincial capital, the so-called fortress of the ruling party.
Come what may, the city of Lahore has always lived up to its reputation of being the city which decides the political fate of every ruler, since its people have that special ingredient which makes or breaks a political myth and makes a pauper a king or from a king to a pauper, overnight. The historic examples of this reputation, earned by this great city over many centuries, has been no less than Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and last but not the least, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif in their successive election campaigns. The city of Lahore, the historic abode of game-changers and the live-hearted, woke up with the chants of political slogans by the highly charged youths of PTI and PML-N. The most thickly populated areas of Ichhara, Rehmanpura, Samanabad, falling into NA-122 and PP-147, remained the hub of the most frantic election-related activities all day long right from 8am to 5pm, the closing time of vote casting.
The most important factor in any election for a party remains the ‘personal touch’ between the candidate, his voters and the people of the area. PML-N having a clear edge over the PTI in this regard since, PML-N, being a party which has its inroads into the most populated low and middle income ears of Lahore city, particularly the walled city and its surroundings, knows people by their names and have a special personal bond with the respective inhabitants of those particular areas. This factor befits the PML-N a great deal, since the culture of the walled city and thickly populated areas is quite different from the much affluent areas like Defence, Shadman, Gulberg, Model Town, Zaman Park and its like. PTI, being a party of the sophisticated and highly educated ‘clean-living’ segments of society does not have that kind of access to the common people as the PML-N does. This natural advantage of the PML-N has always played a highly decisive role in the earlier political battles between the two parties. Who knows who and how much persuasive one can be to his neighbour does make a great difference in such a high-level electoral contest as the open being witnessed in NA-122 and PP147. Mian Aslam Iqbal in PP-148, whose major strength is his personal acquaintance with the people of his constituencies. On the other hand, PTI is yet in its infancy and despite being acknowledged and emerged as the second biggest political force in the country, has not been able to attain this status of a party of every sundry.
The overall colour of the election day remained festive, healthy and highly charged in the constituency concerned. The thin traffic on the city roads, the late arrival of the voters at the polling booths, mainly because it was a Sunday, the overall environment in and around the polling stations remained apprehensive but peaceful, mainly due to the presence of Pakistan Army, Rangers and heavy contingents of police, who performed their duties hawk-eyed. The well maintained law and order and the distance between the polling stations and polling agent’s camps was a ‘No-go Area’ for everyone except the voters.
Despite the earlier anticipations and apprehensions of many party workers from both sides of the political divide, the strict control of the law enforcing agencies and a completely transparent electoral process in the supervision of the army played a very positive role in keeping the tempers of the people down and the level of trust unprecedently high.
The overall election day activities, the sloganeering in favour of their candidates and against the rivals was an integral part of this electoral commotion too. Whenever a leader of PTI would visit a polling station with his entourage, the war of words and slogans contest charged up the atmosphere. Ichhara, Samanabad and Rehmanpura remained the hub of intense political activity on the election day with the regular visits of PTI and PML-N leaders all day long till 5pm.