A tussle between the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and other political parties has been started as the local government elections are coming nearer. According to reports as many as seven opposition parties have decided to form a grand political alliance against the ruling PML N in Punjab ahead of local body elections to be conducted in October 2015.
The alliance members comprising Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat Islami (JI), Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) have decided to back each other and form seat adjustments in the upcoming elections. Leadership of the political parties gathered in Lahore and decided to extend political cooperation. They have also demanded that all four provincial election commissioners should resign immediately. Only PTI has expressed reservations up to some extent on the proposal of seat adjustment and expressed that it has joined the alliance to thwart any attempt by the PML-N to rig the upcoming LG polls. PTI on Tuesday announced that party would not indulge in political alliance with any party ahead of the polls.
The PPP is aware of its present dismal status in Punjab. If the PPP makes seat adjustments with other parties, this may be beneficial for it. Other smaller political parties have joined together because if they remain divided, their votes will also be divided and this will help the incumbent rulers.
Formation of alliances is not a new phenomenon in the elections. In such alliances usually ideology of the political parties is surpassed by the maximum advantage for the parties. But political parties should also consider their ideologies before indulging in the politics of alliances. But it is a fact that is a political party could not deliver when it was in power, it would be hard for it to convince masses for votes, no matter with which party it has formed the alliance.
The PPP is in hot water in Punjab and using all possible measures to reverse its fortunes in up coming local body elections.