LAHORE:
Wazirabad’s partial choice is prepared to shake the domain of the Cheema family, such as Bilal Tarar, brother of the Federal Minister, emerges as the expected contender for the PML-N ticket for NA-66, according to party sources.
With only ten remaining days before the electoral symbols are assigned, heavyweight candidates are consolidating their positions both within the constituency and beyond, with the aim of securing the party ticket, a prize considered highly coveted, especially with PTI deciding to retire from the race.
However, PTI withdrawal is limited to unoccupied seats due to the disqualifications of parliamentarians. Na-129 does not fall in this category, and the party candidate, Hamad Azhar, son of the late MNA, is still a contestant.
On the PML-N side, three heavy pesos, Mehr Ishtiaq, Mian Nouman and Rana Mashud, who currently serves as president of the Prime Minister’s youth program, are in the fray.
According to some party leaders, Rana Mashud is seen as the favorite, given its proximity to the prime minister. However, Hafiz Mian Nouman team has dismissed the claim, arguing that all the contestants are deceiving position themselves as the preferred choice of the party.
They added that the last word will rest with the leadership of the party in the next two or three days.
Hafiz Mian Nouman was the runner-up in NA-129, ensuring more than 71,000 votes against the veteran politician Mian Muhammad Azhar of more than 103,000 votes in the 2024 elections.
Given the trend of PML-N to rotate the leaders in Lahore, considered for a long time a strength of the party, it is unlikely that the result would emerge the big surprises.
However, Wazirabad presents a different scenario. The rumors suggest that Bilal Tarar, brother of the Federal Minister, is the favorite of NA-66. Since 2008, the seat has been a strength of the Cheema family, which had won four elections, including a partial election, until 2024.
