PML-N needs to focus more on party workers

ISLAMABAD: Though the latest results of local bodies (LB) elections 2015 in 12 districts of Punjab have given an opportunity to PML-N for making government in these districts. However the equal number of seats won by the ruling party and those by Independents (both won almost 1,200 seats in first phase) proves that the top party leadership needs to pay heed to organise the party at grassroots level.
PML-N has won almost 1,200 seats in the LB Elections in Punjab but its performance in the other provinces is almost equal to zero showing how weak is the party’s organisation at grassroots level. The number of independent candidates in the LB Polls in Punjab is also a point to ponder by the top leadership of PML-N.
Not even a single meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) has been held since the PML-N came into power in May 2013.
A well-placed source and a senior leader of the PML-N told The News that leaders are not accessible to the common workers of the party. The recent brawl in the party ranks in Faisalabad has also proved that the leadership is either not paying proper attention to party affairs at grassroots level or it is losing grip on its leader.
“There was no proper strategy chalked out by the party leadership before the LB polls,” commented a senior leader of the party.
He further said that the local bodies’ elections are the best opportunity to organise the party at the grassroots level. If the party misses this opportunity, it is going to suffer in future elections. However still it’s not too late as the first phase of the local bodies’ elections are held in those areas where PML-N is quite strong.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervez Rashid told this correspondent that the party’s top leadership is not paying attention to the political activities because
it is busy in addressing national issues. He said that after coming into power the PML-N leadership took the decision that it would not touch any political issue and pay its full attention to address the major issues being faced by the country.
When asked as to why the party has not held even a single meeting of CWC since it came into power thus leaving its workers high and dry, he said majority of the members of CWC are now members of parliament who are in touch with their workers as well as the top leadership of the party. Therefore the workers have not been not deserted as they are very much in touch with the party leadership through their representatives.
To a question about a large number of independent candidates winning the LB polls reflecting loopholes in PML-N’s strategy, the federal minister said there was no loophole in the party’s strategy as the party leadership this time adopted no strict policy for awarding party tickets. The independents as well as the party ticket holders both belonged to PML-N and the party leadership gave them free hand this time to contest the polls.
When asked whether keeping distance from the common workers and not awarding party ticket to majority of the party’s loyal workers would create any impact on party’s performance in future, he said the party leadership is very much in touch with the party workers. The local leadership took the decision of awarding party ticket in consultation with the workers, he said.