LG polls results: a nightmare for PTI

LAHORE
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged on political horizon with full hope among the youth to make a new Pakistan on October 30, 2011 when it showed its power in a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan where, according to different estimates, around 0.3 to half a million people gathered there and compelled the PML-N to revisit its policies towards public, especially the youth.
However, down the line in four years the PTI has seen many rise and falls. But it has unable to maintain the tempo it had made on the historic public gathering of October 30, 2011. The worst case scenario came to the PTI on local bodies election held on October 31, 2015. Just after four years of the successful public gathering, the PTI lost its glory due to many reasons.
Ideally, the PTI should win some reasonable seats of Union Council Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen as PTI Chairman Imran Khan always announced that the PTI was the party of the masses. But the results of the local bodies elections expose hollowness and immaturity in the ranks of the PTI.
Out of total 274 Union Councils of Lahore, PML-N has won 229 UCs seats, independent candidates 27, PTI 12 and PPP only one seat while results of four UCs are pending.
The result of local bodies elections of Lahore is a nightmare for PTI Imran Khan who in his speech at Minar-e-Pakistan on October 30 2011 and many other occasions said that when Lahore would wake up the whole country wake up.
The PTI is exposed in local bodies’ elections. In many UCs the PTI failed to get candidates for the seats of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen while the results showed that those PTI candidates won the election had their own vote bank, which made them successful in neck on neck competitions with their opponents.
If analyse the percentage of the votes secured by the PTI candidates in which in many UCs stood second and majority at third was less than 40 percent from the winning candidates. This shows that the PTI has some vote bank but it is not sufficient enough to win the election.
The reason which is obvious to every PTI worker is that the party is hijacked by those who are known to change their loyalties. This could be observed by any sensible politically aware person in the scenario of Pakistani politics as parties always give weight to electable. However, the electable, who joined the PTI and virtually took over the charge by influencing decision-making, did not bother to run the local bodies election campaign properly.
In Lahore, the PTI had contested by-poll of NA-122 for which it had pitched Aleem Khan against Ayaz Sadiq. The election was one of the expensive by-polls of Pakistan’s history in which Aleem Khan used all of his financial muscles to win it. However, with tough competition, the PML-N managed to retain the NA-122 seat.
However, even the defeat has created an ideal situation for the PTI by making base for the local bodies’ election just after two weeks times. But the PTI top leadership, who seemed concerned for their own seats, did not contest the local bodies election with the same spirit it had contested the NA-122 by-polls. Even, the PTI has lost in those UCs as well from Gari Shahu area where from Aleem Khan won in just two weeks ago.
The PTI as party has failed to sensitise its workers, voters on poling day as well. The PTI ticket holders thought that the voters will themselves come out and cast their votes to them. However, practically in Pakistan’s politics it is false perception and assumption for any candidate who is contesting election against major leading political party of the country.
On the other hand, the PML-N contested election seriously. The PML-N candidates keep knocking the doors of the voters since morning, arranging transport for them to polling stations.
Another factor which has witnessed during the election survey of Lahore that Lahorites preferred to vote PML-N candidates on pretext that the PML-N is ruling party in the province and it can resolve their grievances and complaints for basic civic facilities. Those, who even voted the PTI candidates in General Election 2013, have given their votes to PML-N candidates in local bodies elections..
The October 31 2015, has again proved that Lahore is stronghold of the PML-N while all efforts of the PTI to dent it failed.
Though, the change is a slogan of the PTI which attracts people but the party itself in a denial of a political culture that exists in society. Rigging apart, there is an election day, there are voters and you have to bring them out as they are not much familiar with democratic norms and responsibilities.
Now this is high time for the PTI to revamp it ranks as people still have hopes for its better performance. PPP once had majority in Lahore had cut down to only one union council seat.