TAXILA: Both the PTI and the ruling PML-N have started campaigning for the elections for the provincial assembly seat in PP-7, Taxila and Chakri, scheduled for September 26 and varying factors including tribal affiliations and the promise of more mega projects make it difficult to predict the results of the polls.
Though PPP and independent candidates will also be contesting the elections, observers say the real contest will be between the PTI and PML-N for the provincial assembly seat in Rawalpindi IV.
The constituency, consisting of the semi-hilly and plain areas of Taxila, Chakri, Sahil and Adiala, has its geo-political significance as on the one side it has Taxila city with its eight union councils in the constituency and on the other there is Chakri and Sahil which are rural and where family affiliations effect voter decisions.
The clans of Gujjar, Khattar, Awan, Kashmiri and Syed dominate the rural areas and political decisions. Meanwhile, in the urban areas, voters vote for political personalities instead.
The historical town of Taxila has been the PML-N’s stronghold since 1985 and has been termed mini-Raiwind. However, in the 2008 elections, the only National Assembly seat and the provincial assembly seat of PP-8 were won by the PML-N while PP-7 was secured by a candidate of the Khan group, who contested the elections on a PML-Q ticket.
The PML-N and the Sarwar Khan group have been rivals in Potohar for a long time, where 162,599 voters are registered.
The 2013 elections were won by the PTI, though political observers say it will not be as easy for the Imran Khan led party to win the elections this time due to the hold that PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has over the constituency, where he has thousands of loyal party workers.
Chaudhry Nisar presently enjoys a strong political position and has a good following among major families in the area. The mega projects he announced recently could further boost his vote bank.
Meanwhile, unlike the past elections, the Sarwar Khan group is facing challenges for a variety of reasons, the bigger of which is that the ruling party has a majority in the provincial and national assemblies and can promise more mega projects, which is attracting influential personalities.
The death of Sarwar Khan’s younger brother, Sadeeq Khan, is also a major setback for Sarwar Khan as his brother was considered a major political force.
On the other hand, Sarwar Khan represents the Khattar clan in Pind Nousheri, which is very influential in Taxila and Chakri.
This constituency, which is inhabited by Rajput, Khattar, Kashmiri, Syed and Gujjar families, is part of the Potohar region which traditionally follows the elections trends of Rawalpindi city.
The results of the elections can be hard to predict as family and tribal affiliations playing an important role in the rural areas and past election history and the prevailing conditions favouring PML-N candidate Umer Farooq, who is an old guard of the party. The ruling party might just regain its political battle ground after a close contest on September 26.
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