MULTAN: The ruling PML-N has had a clean sweep in the final phase of the local government elections in Punjab, as unofficial results showed that it won the chairman slot in 30 district councils with both the PPP and PTI unable to get the top positions in none of the districts.
However, the PML-Q managed to get its party candidate elected in District Council Attock, while independents remained successful in Bhakkar and Pakpattan.
Elections were not held for the top slots in two district councils Rawalpindi and Nankana due the stay orders issued by courts.
As far as the municipal corporations are concerned, the PML-N was successful in all the 11. Thus, the PMLN now has mayors and deputy mayors in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujrat, Sahiwal, Multan, DG Khan and Bahawalpur.
The mayors and deputy mayors and district chairmen and vice chairmen will take oath on Dec 31 as the final phase of local government polls in the province would be completed with the declaration of results by the returning officers on Friday.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif congratulated the party workers, office-bearers and voters for securing an overwhelming majority across the Punjab, saying people had shown great trust and confidence in the development-oriented policies of the PML-N.
There were upsets in the polls of seven district councils with the family members or candidates backed by three federal ministers winners in three and losing in two.
It was an effective election strategy on the part of the PML-N, which enabled it to grab the district councils in Mianwali and Rahim Yar Khan in spite of the general feeling that these would be easily won by the PTI and PPP respectively.
The PTI had a clear majority in Mianwali but it was Gul Hameed Khan Rokhri, who was the winner with a wide margin. Similarly, the PPP enjoyed majority in Rahim Yar Khan but several members of Makhdoom Ahmed group opted to vote for the PML-N candidate Sardar Azhar Leghari instead of Makhdoom Ali Mehmood, the son of the former governor.
However in Attock, the nephew of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Ahsan Ali Khan, lost to PML-Q’s Iman Wasim, niece of Chaudhry Shujaat.
