report in The Express Tribune, Dec 5, 2023
LAHORE: As the party ramps up its electoral preparations for the general election, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif took charge on Monday, presiding over the party’s second parliamentary board meeting to allocate tickets on both national and provincial assembly.
The session, helmed by Nawaz, conducted interviews for prospective candidates vying to contest the 2024 general elections from Rawalpindi, Attock, and Chakwal.
Interviews slated for candidates eyeing two National Assembly (NA) and three Punjab Assembly seats were among the agenda items.
At the party secretariat in Model Town, Nawaz, accompanied by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah, and Ataullah Tarar, deliberated over the candidates’ prospects.
Notably, Rawalpindi boasts seven NA seats, while Attock, Chakwal, and Jhelum each hold two. Additionally, Rawalpindi houses 14 Punjab Assembly seats, with Chakwal and Jhelum having four and three provincial seats, respectively.
The meeting concluded with decisions on candidates for various constituencies, including NA-49, NA-50, and NA-51 to NA-61, encompassing National Assembly seats in the aforementioned districts.
Further discussions centred on candidates for Punjab Assembly seats, specifically addressing PP-01 to PP-05 in Attock.
The parliamentary board meeting is slated to reconvene on Tuesday, focusing on finalizing PML-N candidates from Hazara and Malakand divisions within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In a related development, PML-N announced two significant appointments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, assigning Akhtar Wali Khan the role of youth coordinator for the province and nominated Barrister Zaidullah Khan as the coordinator for MSF.
Maryam Nawaz issued separate notifications regarding these appointments.
Later, Rana Sanaullah, talking to the press, revealed that the parliamentary body conducted extensive interviews with prospective members from Rawalpindi today.
A total of 122 candidates participated in the interview sessions, where each candidate articulated their positions without any discord or opposition, creating a positive atmosphere for all involved.
Sanaullah shared that the interviews spanned candidates from NA-51 to NA-57, covering crucial constituencies within Rawalpindi. The focus now shifts to two days of deliberations by the body for K-P, followed by a subsequent session for Balochistan.
Expressing PML-N’s readiness for the upcoming election, Sanaullah acknowledged the hardship faced by the common man due to inflation. He assured that the party is committed to resolving these challenges.
Regarding seat adjustments for the election, Sanaullah said the measures would be taken according to necessity.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2448976/pml-n-poll-drive-gains-momentum
