GUJRAT: A neck and neck contest is being envisaged between the candidates of ruling PTI and the PML-N in the PP-38 by-election scheduled to be held on Wednesday (tomorrow) as the campaign concluded on Monday night.

After clinching all four seats of Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly on July 25 across the Gujranwala region, the local PTI rank and file pin a high hope to win the Sialkot by-polls.

The PML-N, on the other hand, seems determined to win yet another by-election in Punjab after the party had inflicted defeat to the ruling party in three recently held by-polls for NA-75, Daska, PP-51 Wazirabad, and Khushab seat.

However Qaiser Baryar, a local PTI leader and uncle of party aspirant for PP-38 Ahsan Saleem Baryar, told Dawn the victory of PTI candidates in the Azad Kashmir elections from Gujranwala region had boosted the spirit of local party cadre and it would definitely help the party candidate win the Sialkot by-polls. PML-N candidate Tariq Subhani, however, said the dynamics of Azad Kashmir were entirely different from the local politics of Punjab where Nawaz League had won all by-polls in recent times.

Similarly, he said that in most of the PP-38 areas, the PML-N had won polling for the Azad Kashmir seat whereas the local groups were supporting him due to which he was in a position to win election.

Senior PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz had also addressed an election rally in PP-38 on Saturday last to support the party candidate.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2021