Adjustment formula with ‘Q’ costs another 10 seats to PPP

LAHORE: The seat adjustment formula between the PPP and the PML-Q has cost the former another 10 provincial seats, thanks to the recent departure of its sitting legislators, most of whom have joined the PML-N on the pretext of having differences with their parent party.

The PPP has already compromised over 32 provincial and some 40 national constituencies where it would not be fielding its candidates in the coming polls as part of the deal. The winner and the runner-up of the last election would be the joint candidate of the two parties according to the seat adjustment formula which also applies on the constituencies now no more with the PPP.   So far, 10 sitting PPP lawmakers from different constituencies have dissociated themselves from the PPP, and most of them, excluding one, would be contesting the next elections from PML-N platform.

They are. Sardar Kamil Gujjar (PP-35-Sargodha), Rana Munawar Ghous (PP-36- Sargodha), Javed Alauddin (PP-186-Okara), Shah Jehan Bhatti (PP-172-Nankana), Ahmad Hasan Deharr (PP-200- Multan), Abbas Raan (PPP-201-Multan), Nishat Daha (PP-214 -Khanewal), Rana Babar (PP-217-Khanewal), Jamil Shah (PP-218- Khanewal) and Shamshair Wattoo (PP-219- Faisalabad). Of these, Abbas Raan intends to take part in the upcoming polls on PTI ticket.  It may be a mere coincidence but it is a fact that these PPP candidates had defeated PML-Q candidates in 2008 elections. Consequently, the PPP has lost the right to field its candidates from these constituencies as per the agreement.

Being the runner-ups of the last elections, the PML-Q candidates would be contesting this time as joint candidates of the two parties from these 10 constituencies.  The PML-Q runner-ups of 2008 elections include: Ch Faisal Farooq Cheema (32753 votes), Ch Faisal Javed Ghumman (30427 votes), Dr Azhar Mehmood Ch (23235 votes), Malik Zulqarnain Dogar (17881), Muhammad Hasnain Bosan (26264 votes), Malik Mazhar Abbas Raan (25412 votes), Imran Pervaiz (23604 votes), Pir Zahoor Hussain Qureshi (31229 votes), Nawabzada Abdur Razzaq (32043 votes) and Khalid Mehmood Wattoo (19035 votes) respectively from the said constituencies.

Earlier, when the two parties were engaged in talks to set modalities for the seat adjustments, the PPP had then contended that PML-Q had lost the right to field its candidates in constituencies won by the forward bloc members. Though the joint committee set up to pick up consensus candidates is yet to meet, the PML-Q side is excited that the same argument would now apply on the constituencies lost by the PPP. One of the members of joint committee from PPP side, Shaukat Basra when contacted admitted that these seats should go to the PML-Q as a matter of principle.

He, however, insisted that the seat adjustment formula did not prevent the two parties to select the best candidate even if he was not a runner up.     Interestingly, all the PML-N candidates lost the 2008 elections from the constituencies under question by a wide margin ending up at number three position. The party was desperately looking for potential candidates from these areas and finally it found them in the form of PPP men.  Shaukat Basra, however, maintained that these PPP candidates were having problems with their respective PML-Q candidates on national seats. This was the reason behind their decision to join some other party, he added. – Nation