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Pakistan Elections 2018: Voters burst 'JEEP' tyres

Dunya News

Voters left 'Jeep' and 'Jeep Walas' in the need of Stepney

From Dunya Election Cell

‘Jeep’ out of nowhere suddenly acquired a quite significant place in the political discourse few week ahead of Pakistan general elections 2018.

‘Jeep’ has emerged as one of the most controversial electoral symbol being allotted to the independent contestants vying for elections 2018. The candidates who were contesting on the electoral symbol of jeep, included some of the contestants that were once part of the major parties and after had an arguments with party on party policies decided to contest elections independently.

‘Jeep’ has emerged as one of the most controversial electoral symbol being allotted to the independent contestants vying for elections 2018.

When the election commission allotted some of the independents the electoral symbol ‘jeep’, it suddenly became the centre of attention in political debates and rumours and prediction were started to speculate among masses interpreting its multiple explanations and reasoning behind.

 

Ahead of elections 2018, the symbol became talk of the town. From print to broadcast to social media, Jeep was given prominent place in news and views.

‘Jeep’ was considered as a guarantee to victory. The candidates vying on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’ were considered as an important players in establishing new government.

When the conspiracy theories related to  Jeep  geared on

Even though, on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’, independents were contesting from all over the Pakistan but but the significance of ‘Jeep’ highlighted only after the announcement of disgruntled PMLN stalwart and former interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan to run into the elections 2018 on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’ as an independent candidate.

After association of ‘Jeep’ with Nisar, ECP received requests from across the country for the allotment of the symbol.

‘Jeep’ as an electoral symbol acquired such a substantial reputation that ECP had to end its ‘first come first serve’ policy to allot a symbol to a candidate and introduced a toss system to bestow a candidate with the symbol.

The analysis and debates on ‘Jeep’ were fired up more when some of the other estranged PMLN candidates returned their party tickets and decided to contest as an independent on the symbol of ‘Jeep’. PMLN leaders often hinted in their statements that those who were contesting on ‘Jeep’ were actually being used as puppets in the hands of hidden anti-democratic force.

Jeep and that third force which remains sacred and secret in the political dynamics of Pakistan were being considered members of the same family.

Though some of the independents, contesting on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’ were heavyweights but most of the independents allotted this symbol were either the debutants or the ones who had never won any election ever but still were in the race.

Candidates on the electoral symbol of Jeep vied from 461 constituencies from all over of the country. Independents being allotted the symbol of Jeep contested from 136 seats of National Assembly, 192 seats from Punjab Assembly, 55 from Sindh Assembly, 49 from KP Assembly and 29 from Balochistan Assembly in elections 2018.

Jeep automatically became the symbol which was being considered as party itself. 

Voters left ‘Jeep’ and  Jeep Walas  in the need of Stepney

The prominent and bigwigs with electoral symbol ‘Jeep’ include Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, former deputy speaker Punjab, Sher Ali Gorchani and his father Pervaiz Gorchani, Hafeezur Rehman Dareshak, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf dareshak, Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa and Malik Sultan Mahmood Hanjar.

Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan 

Nisar Ali Khan has contested from two constituencies of national as well as two from provincial assemblies as an independent. He has lost both of his National Assembly constituencies as well as one of his provincial assembly’s seat lost on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’. NA-53 was always his home field which he had never lost in past since 1985. He could retained only one provincial assembly seat PP-10.

On jeep, Nisar could retain only one provincial assembly seat PP-10.

Zaeem Qadri

Former spokesperson of government of Punjab, Zaeem Qadri also contested on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’ and could not manage to bag even enough number of votes from both of his constituencies NA 125 and NA 133. Zaeem Qadri could secure only 128 votes from NA 125 in comparison with he PMLN Ticket holder 122327. Jeep crushed estranged stalwart of PMLN Zaeem Qadri, too

The other estranged PMLN leaders from South Punjab

Few of the estranged PMLN candidates who at the eleventh hour decided to return the party tickets and contest on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’ were Sardar Sher Ali Gorchwani from NA 193 and PP 293 RajanPur, Hafeezur Rehman Dareshak from NA 194 and Sardar Muhammad Dareshak from PP 296 have also failed to grab any of the provincial or national assembly seat.

Other Independents contested for National Assembly on the electoral symbol of  Jeep 

According the information garnered from election commission of Pakistan, from 136 constituencies ,no candidate on electoral symbol ‘Jeep’ succeeded in securing not even a single seat in National Assembly.

Malik Sultan Mahmood Hanjra from NA 181 and Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa from NA 191 and PP 289 Dera Ghaza Khan have also opted ‘jeep’ to run in the elections 2018. Other candidates who chose ‘Jeep’ as their electoral symbols and lost the game include

Mian Abid Jawed from NA 72 Sialkot who had bagged only 376 votes
Mansoor Sarwar Khan from NA 74 Sialkot secured only 358 votes
Khurram Munawar Manj from NA 121
Syed Ali Abbas Gillani from Na 143 Okara
Haroon Zaman Khaga from NA 147 Sahiwal
Tariq Basheer Cheema from NA 171 Bahawalpur
Tariq Ahmad Gormani from Muzaffargar NA 183

Independents contested for Provincial Asseblies on the electoral symbol of  Jeep 

Punjab Assembly

In 192 constituencies of Punjab Assembly, contestants were allotted ‘Jeep’, except one seat secured by Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan; no other candidate won any seat in Punjab Assembly with this symbol.

The defeated candidates from provincial assembly of Punjab, contested elections 2018 on the electoral symbol of ‘Jeep’ include

Asif Raza from PP 34 Gujrat bagged only 300 votes
Mian Abid Jawed from PP 35 Sialkot remained the biggest loser with 96 votes only

Other big loosers in the game are

Liaqat Ali Ranjha from PP 67 Mandi Bahuddin
Mohammad Ajasim Sharif from PP 149 Lahore
Mohammad Waheed Gul from PP 154 Lahore
Rana Mumtaz Ali Khan from PP 179 Qasoor
Abdul Qayyum Jatoi from PP 275 Muzaffar Garh

Jeep automatically became the symbol which was being considered as party itself.

Sindh Assembly

Likewise from 55 constituencies of Sindh Assembly, contestants who were allotted ‘Jeep’ could not even win a single seat.

Voters say, “Performance worst, tyres burst”

Balochistan Assembly

However, two candidates from Balochistan who had been allotted the symbol of ‘Jeep’ have secured two seats in Balochistan assembly. The successful independents with ‘Jeep’ symbol from Balochistan include Masood Ali Khan from PB 5 and Muhammad Arif from PB 34 Chaghi.

Much hyped victory on ‘Jeep’, done and dusted

KP Assembly

One independent Muhammad Deedar, has also won a seat from KP assembly on the symbol of ‘Jeep’ from PK 25 Kohistan.

‘Jeep’ couldn’t weigh the load of votes, tyres ruptured

Ahead of general elections 2018, the symbol of ‘Jeep’ has been given so much hype in media and among other players in the battleground but the results of elections 2018 and the voting trends suggest that the voters have outright;y rejected the ideology being portrayed behind the electoral symbol ‘Jeep’. In other words, it can be said that the voters burst the tyres of the ‘jeep’ with their full potential of exercising their right to vote.

People on the unpecedented defeat reacted differently but the verdict against  Jeep  sounds same.

Story by Tariq Habib

Edited, translated and re-featured by Mehreen Fatima

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