LAHORE: After the Prime Minister Imran Khan nominated Chaudhary Pervez Elahi as candidate of the ruling party for slot of Chief Minister of Punjab, the opposition alliance has also started considering the names of consensus candidates for the post of CM, Pakistan Today learnt.
Sources in the opposition alliance informed that consultations have begun on three names for the post of CM, including Abdul Aleem Khan, while the PML-N leadership in London also has positive contacts with Jahangir Tareen.
However, according to the same sources, the Tareen group sought time from the PML-N leadership for consultation while the opposition has claimed that Tareen would also support the opposition candidate.
On the other hand, when contacted, a senior member of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said that Chaudhry has been nominated as CM of Punjab by the present government but in fact it would be difficult for the government to get him elected as CM.
The Punjab Assembly has a house of 371 members while any party needs the support of 186 members to form a government.
In 2018, when Sardar Usman Buzdar was elected CM Punjab with 194 votes, the PML-Q had supported him with 10 votes in return for which party president Pervez Elahi was nominated as the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
At present, the position of PTI in the Punjab Assembly is that PTI has 183 members in the ruling coalition, PML-Q has 10 and Rah-e-Haq Party has one member while the PML-N has 165 members in the opposition alliance, the PPP has seven. In this regard, it is not at all difficult for Chaudhary to become the CM but now the situation is different from 2018.
However, when contacted to confirm this claim, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said that if Imran Khan’s own government is in danger then how can Chaudhry be made the CM by PM.
“We have required numbers in the National Assembly without the rebel members of the PTI. If Khan leaves the PM’s post, then it is not possible for Chaudhry to become the CM. The rebel members of PTI are not with him and the opposition will bring a consensus candidate in Punjab for the post of CM,” Kaira said.
However, when contacted, a PTI MPA speaking on condition of anonymity, informed this scribe that Chaudhry could face major challenges in holding the post of CM and one of the major challenges would be dealing with the divisions within the PTI.
The lawmaker said that Tareen and Aleem groups may pose challenge to Elahi’s ambition as both have shown reservations against their party leadership.
“The PML-Q had also issued statements in the past in which it was announced that Aleem would not be accepted as the CM of Punjab under any circumstances,” she said.
The MPA also believed that there was a huge gap between Aleem and Chaudhrys and Aleem thought that Chaudhrys had criticized him unnecessarily many times.
On the other hand, a member of PML-Q told Pakistan Today that challenges were in place but some matters were also in the favor of Chaudhry.
“Five members of PML-N had defected from their party in 2020. However, show cause notices were also issued to these members but they did not return to the party. Similarly, there is also a MPA of the PPP who has declared a coup against his party a long time ago.
Similarly, the PTI has also been claiming that several members of the PML-N have secretly joined them. If they come to the fore at the last moment, then there is a possibility of some reduction in the problems of Pervez Elahi. However, the sword of defection law may be hanging over these members,” he concluded.
