Fierce battle expected in LA-37 election

LAHORE

A fierce election battle is expected between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in LA-37, Valley II, on Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative seat falling in Lahore where two turncoats have come face to face once again.

Like other seats of AJK Legislative, polling for LA-37, Valley II will take place on July 21 in Lahore in which immigrants possessing State Subject Certificate will cast their vote.

The total number of registered voters for the LA-37 seat was around 8,000 but after the cancellation of thousands of votes which were declared bogus by the election commission, the total number of voters stands around 4,000.

Around 3,900 voters belong to district Lahore whereas a few belong to Sheikhupura. The polling stations will be set up in these two cities.

Despite all the claims by the candidates, the two major parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and PTI are expected to put maximum weight to clinch win but PPP also possesses vote bank which could cause an upset. Split of votes between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and PTI is also an advantageous factor for PPP but the ruling party, with all resources in hands enjoys an obvious edge.

So far, in last four elections held on this seat in the years 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011, PML-N hasn’t been able to win this seat. PPP has won in 1996, 2001 and People's Muslim League in 2006. In 2011, the elections couldn’t take place.

All the three major political parties, including PML-N, PTI and PPP have pitched their candidates from the Valley seat, and interestingly, all the three have started their political career from People's Party.

Diwan Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, the PTI candidate from this seat, has been flirting with PPP for almost a decade as he was first elected MLA from this seat in 1996 on the ticket of Pakistan People's Party. He was once again elected from the same seat in 2001 on PPP ticket and by 2006, he joined Barrister Sultan Mehmood’s People's Muslim League. In 2008, when the PPP government came to power in centre, Diwan Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din once again joined Pakistan People's Party and was pitched from this seat in the 2011 elections.

However, amid serious tension between PPP and PML-N on polling day, the results were not announced and later the election commission didn’t conduct any re-polling on this seat. By 2015, Diwan Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din once again bade farewell to PPP and joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and now contesting on PTI ticket.

“PTI will win this seat despite all rigging tactics of PML-N” said Diwan Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din while talking to The News. He said PTI was a popular political party and we had also requested election commission to deploy army to ensure transparency in the elections.

Ghulam Abbas Mir, another staunch PPP loyalist in past contested from this seat in 2006 on Pakistan People's Party ticket but lost it.

In 2011, after being refused by the party, a heartbroken Abbas Mir joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and was awarded ticket but as the polls were postponed on this seat, he wasn’t declared victorious. In 2016, he is contesting on the PML-N ticket and hopeful of defeating his rivals. “Nawaz Sharif is the only hope for Pakistan and only he can plead the case of Kashmir “ said Ghulam Abbas Mir, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate from LA-37.

He said the Kashmiri voters were highly disappointed by the former MLA of this seat and he would be rejected this time.

Syed Omar Sharif Bokhari, a PPP stalwart from Lahore, is contesting as the party candidate from this seat. Omar has been active in politics since 2002 when he contested a provincial assembly election from a Lahore seat. Moreover, his father, Justice (R) Sharif Bokhari was also the MLA in 1970s and was elected on PPP ticket.

He has held several important assignments during the last PPP tenure. Talking to The News, Omar Sharif Bokhari said that duplicity of standard by Imran Khan, the PTI Chairman could well be assessed from the fact that he has pitched candidate involved in registering bogus votes. He said PPP would emerge victorious from this seat.