such as energy crisis and price-hike.
The total number of registered voters in the Cantt area, which, after 16 years is witnessing LG polls and divided into two parts, Lahore Cantonment Board and Walton Cantonment are 153,510 (Cantonment Board) and 307,482 (Walton Board). Female voters in the Lahore Cantonment Board are 67,563 whereas in Walton Board, there are 136,737 registered female voters. Interestingly, there has been no woman candidate pitched by all three major parties, including PML-N, PTI and PPP and all the female contestants are in the run as independent candidates. The voters in the areas include ex-servicemen, large number of traders and youth. Major clans include Arain, Rajputs, Kashmiris, whereas in most of the areas, people from Pakhtoon community also reside in big numbers.
The local government polls in the areas are being held after a gap of 16 years. In the last elections, which were held on non-party basis, Sheikh Amjad Aziz was elected Vice-President of the Board. In the last elections, area was a political battleground between PML-N and PPP but for the first time, PTI has emerged as a main contestant and it is likely to make upsets in different wards.
The PML-N, which is the ruling party in Punjab and Centre, has been accused of making full use of state machinery and resources by the rival parties. Both the sitting PML-N MPAs, including Mian Naseer Ahmed of PP-155 and Yasin Sohail of PP-156 have also fielded their brothers, including Khalid Ahmed and Akram Sohail respectively. PTI is in the contest with most of the new faces who, according to sources, have been rewarded ticket by the backing of party’s Lahore chapter.
Detail of candidates from major parties contesting from Lahore Cantonment wards.
From Ward 1, total eight candidates are contesting and all the three major parties, including PML-N, PTI and PPP are in the run with their candidates, including Shahid Sheikh, Mohammad Ali and Wajid Ali respectively. A tough contest is expected on this seat.
Ward 2: Total 12 candidates are contesting from here, including PML-N’s Abad Qureshi, PPP’s Ali Mahdi and PTI’s Ikhlaq Hussein. There is also one woman candidate contesting independently from this ward.
Ward 3: Total six candidates are contesting from this ward which includes M Iqbal of PML-N, Rasheed Ahmed of PTI and Tariq Mehmood of PPP.
Ward 4: PML-N has pitched Asif Ali from this seat whereas PTI has come up with Faisal Farid whereas PPP backed candidate is Chaudhry Ashraf. There is also a woman candidate contesting from here and total number of contestants is 13.
Ward 5: From this ward, contest is expected between PML-N’s Javed Zaman and PTI’s Shahzad Hussein. PPP is supporting an independent candidate Siraj Zaidi. Total number of candidates is six.
Ward 6: Total 10 candidates are contesting from this seat and PML-N has fielded Ashfaq Ahmed against M Ehsan of PTI. PPP hasn’t fielded any candidate from here.
Ward 7: In this ward, total eight candidates are contesting which include PPP’s Imran Bhatti and PTI’s Ch Umair.
Ward 8: From this seat, Rashid Sandhu of PML-N, Sher Ali of PPP and M Attique of PTI are in the run along with five other candidates.
Ward 9: PPP has fielded a Christian candidate Rashid Feroze Sahutra from this seat. PML-N has fielded Naeem Shahzad and PTI is in the run with Nazakat Ali.
Ward 10: There are total seven candidates contesting from this ward which include Zahid Anjum Pervaiz of PPP, Ilyas Ali of PTI and M Jaffer of PTI.
From the 10 wards of Walton Cantonment Board, list of candidates contesting from major political parties is as under.
Ward 1: From this ward, contest is expected between Ashfaq Ahmed of PML-N and Ehsan Mehmood of PTI. Total number of candidates from this seat is 10.
Ward 2: Total 12 candidates are contesting from this seat, which include Malik Tahir of PTI and M Hanif of PML-N. No PPP candidate has been pitched from here.
Ward 3: Total 10 candidates are contesting from here which include Abbas Ali of PPP, Faisal Bhatti of PTI and one PML-N candidate as well.