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Imran faces tough contest in home constituency NA-71
* PTI chief to face PML-N’s candidate Ubaidullah Khan Shadikhel
* Imran still to visit constituency
* Relying on former MNA Ayla Malik
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly constituency NA-71 Mianwali is believed to be one of the most-focused seat in the upcoming general elections because of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.
NA-71 Mianwali is Imran’s ancestral constituency and all his hopes to enter parliament are attached to it. Imran, whose nomination papers from this constituency have been cleared, will not however have easy sailing there because his staunch political rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is fielding a strong local politician, Ubaidullah Khan Shadikhel, from there to face the might of Imran Khan.
NA-71 comprises of Isa Khel Tehsil, Daud Khel, Chakrala, Rokhari, Bori Khel, Ghundi, Sikandarabad and some other parts of the district. There are 28 union councils in this constituency with 328,994 registered voters, as per the latest electoral rolls. The PML-N has devised a special strategy for this particular constituency of Punjab by bringing together the Shadikhel and Rokharis, two influential political families, to form a joint front. Shadikhels have been accommodated in NA-71 and PP-43 and Rokharis in PP-44. A visit to the constituency a few days ago revealed a neck-to-neck fight between Imran Khan and Ubaidullah Shadikhel.
The local cadres of PTI are enthusiastic about Imran’s contesting elections from this constituency. However, they are still waiting for their party leader to visit the area where his competitor has already reached the entire width and breadth of the area through his door-to-door campaign. Being a leader of national stature who is supposed to carry out the election campaign of his party throughout the country, Imran will have little time to come to the area and the entire responsibility for campaigning would be on the district leadership’ shoulders, and here comes again a setback for Imran.
He is relying on Ayla Malik, a former member of the National Assembly elected on a reserved seat during the 2002 elections. She is a newcomer in the area and has spent almost her entire life outside Mianwali despite belonging to the famous Malik clan of Kalabagh. She rose to fame because of former West Pakistan governor general Nawab Amir Muhammad Khan. Ayla Malik is making efforts to reach out to the people of the area. However, being a woman she is hard to accept for the local people who, in some areas, don’t even allow women to cast vote, as per local tradition.
“She is a charming lady to attract the people. However, the dynamics of this constituency are quite different to urban areas where famous faces can matter for political gains,” said a notable of the area having in-depth knowledge of the local politics. The issues of the area are mostly related to thana (police station) and kachahri (court) and Shadikhel seems most suitable for them because of being easily accessible compared to Imran Khan, who some think will be hard to reach.
However, youth factor is proving a boon for Imran Khan in this constituency too and he is likely to grab a major chunk of youth vote in this constituency. In the 2002 general election, Imran Khan and Ubaidullah Shadikhel came face to face in this constituency, and Imran won the seat by defeating the latter by six thousand votes. Ubaidullah Shadikhel contested the election then as an independent. This time the ticket of PML-N will benefit Shadikhel well by helping him garner the support of PML-N sympathisers, his workers and loyalists have predicted.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
* PTI chief to face PML-N’s candidate Ubaidullah Khan Shadikhel
* Imran still to visit constituency
* Relying on former MNA Ayla Malik
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly constituency NA-71 Mianwali is believed to be one of the most-focused seat in the upcoming general elections because of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.
NA-71 Mianwali is Imran’s ancestral constituency and all his hopes to enter parliament are attached to it. Imran, whose nomination papers from this constituency have been cleared, will not however have easy sailing there because his staunch political rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is fielding a strong local politician, Ubaidullah Khan Shadikhel, from there to face the might of Imran Khan.
NA-71 comprises of Isa Khel Tehsil, Daud Khel, Chakrala, Rokhari, Bori Khel, Ghundi, Sikandarabad and some other parts of the district. There are 28 union councils in this constituency with 328,994 registered voters, as per the latest electoral rolls. The PML-N has devised a special strategy for this particular constituency of Punjab by bringing together the Shadikhel and Rokharis, two influential political families, to form a joint front. Shadikhels have been accommodated in NA-71 and PP-43 and Rokharis in PP-44. A visit to the constituency a few days ago revealed a neck-to-neck fight between Imran Khan and Ubaidullah Shadikhel.
The local cadres of PTI are enthusiastic about Imran’s contesting elections from this constituency. However, they are still waiting for their party leader to visit the area where his competitor has already reached the entire width and breadth of the area through his door-to-door campaign. Being a leader of national stature who is supposed to carry out the election campaign of his party throughout the country, Imran will have little time to come to the area and the entire responsibility for campaigning would be on the district leadership’ shoulders, and here comes again a setback for Imran.
He is relying on Ayla Malik, a former member of the National Assembly elected on a reserved seat during the 2002 elections. She is a newcomer in the area and has spent almost her entire life outside Mianwali despite belonging to the famous Malik clan of Kalabagh. She rose to fame because of former West Pakistan governor general Nawab Amir Muhammad Khan. Ayla Malik is making efforts to reach out to the people of the area. However, being a woman she is hard to accept for the local people who, in some areas, don’t even allow women to cast vote, as per local tradition.
“She is a charming lady to attract the people. However, the dynamics of this constituency are quite different to urban areas where famous faces can matter for political gains,” said a notable of the area having in-depth knowledge of the local politics. The issues of the area are mostly related to thana (police station) and kachahri (court) and Shadikhel seems most suitable for them because of being easily accessible compared to Imran Khan, who some think will be hard to reach.
However, youth factor is proving a boon for Imran Khan in this constituency too and he is likely to grab a major chunk of youth vote in this constituency. In the 2002 general election, Imran Khan and Ubaidullah Shadikhel came face to face in this constituency, and Imran won the seat by defeating the latter by six thousand votes. Ubaidullah Shadikhel contested the election then as an independent. This time the ticket of PML-N will benefit Shadikhel well by helping him garner the support of PML-N sympathisers, his workers and loyalists have predicted.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
