The election scene in Phoolnagar

PHOOLNAGAR: Electioneering has reached its peak here. The candidates are holding corner meetings and visiting door-to-door to get support of the voters. In PP-179 Pattoki, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mehmood Anwar Babbi is contesting against PTI s Pir Mukhtar Ahmed. Mukhtar Ahmed was chosen over the longtime party activist Rana M Tariq and former ticket-holder Chaudhry Aqeel Aslam Arain. Neither of them is supporting the Mukhtar s campaign.

Meanwhile, Mukhtar s brother Major (retd) Pir Ejaz is contesting on the TLP s ticket. Independent candidate Rana Mumtaz Ahmed is a renowned social worker and a big figure of the business community while another independent Ahsan Nizami is also running his campaign.

In PP-180 (Jamber/Sara-e-Mughal), PML-N s Rana M Hayat Khan is contesting on NA-140 seat. The PTI has given ticket to Sardar M Asif Nakai. Maulana Sabir Siddiqui is running a charged campaign on Ashraf Asif Jalali s Tehreek-e-Labbaik Islam ticket. The TLP has fielded Rana Tanveer Riaz, who is also contesting for the MNA slot in NA-140.

Asif Nakai, son of former Punjab CM Sardar Arif Nakai, is the winner from PP-180 in 2013 general elections. Sardar Asif Nakai had won last three elections. This time, his position is again stronger than the others in the constituency.

The PP-181 is the hometown of Rana Phool M Khan and the contest here is a family affair. Rana Phool s son Rana M Iqbal Khan, speaker of the Punjab Assembly, is contesting on the PML-N ticket. His first cousin Rana M Aslam, former DIG, is contesting on the PTI ticket while his nephew Rana Naeem Riaz is contesting on the TLP s ticket. His family member Rana Hashmat Ali Khan is contesting as an independent candidate, Sardar Noor Ahmed Dogar on MMA ticket and Ch Asif Jutt is competing on the ticket of Milli Muslim League.

In this constituency, Rana Iqbal Khan has won the last two elections but now the current political situation is badly damaging his political strength. PTI is becoming popular in the constituency while TLP candidate Naeem Riaz is also getting good support from the religious groups.