Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Asad Umar is expected to face a tough challenge to retain NA-54 (Islamabad III) as candidates of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) are equally strong, particularly in the urban areas of the federal capital. Umar won NA-54 in 2013 by-elections by securing 48,073 votes against PML-N candidate Ashraf Gujjar who bagged 41,186 votes, however this time around he is facing two strong contenders - Anjum Aqeel of PML-N and Mian Aslam of MMA, two former MNAs, with a strong vote bank in urban areas.
Umer is optimistic of a victory as his runner up in 2013 by-polls, Chaudhry Ashraf Gujjar, has recently joined the bandwagon of Imran Khan. An anecdotal survey conducted by Business Recorder revealed that PTI's popularity in urban areas of the city is quite high compared to rural areas. The PML-N and MMA candidates however are likely to receive greater support from rural areas which have traditionally voted for the candidate instead of the party.
"Why will I vote for Asad Umar? He is not from Islamabad. We need an MNA who is accessible and that's why we will vote for someone local," said Tariq Qayum, a motorcycle mechanic in rural Golra Sharif area. Anjum Aqeel, the PML-N candidate, won from this constituency in 2008, by securing 61,480 votes, and he is expected to give a tough time to the PTI candidate.
However Business Recorder talked to several young people in rural areas who said they would vote for the PTI candidate Asad Umar saying 'we want change and PTI is the only party which can deliver'. "Imran Khan will live up to our expectations, the rest of the leaders have been tested time and again, so we've no option but to vote for PTI," said Saqib Ali, a university student, who lives in G-10.
Mian Aslam of MMA, who belongs to Jamat-e-Islami and was elected from this constituency in 2002 with 40,365 votes, is a strong candidate. The BR team was informed by several members of the public that he distributes free ration among poor people in the city's rural areas.
Samiullah, a vendor at F-8 markaz, who lives in Tarnol, said that there are 10 votes in his family, which he will cast for Mian Aslam. He said that he has done much for the poor people despite not holding any official position for the past ten years. The ECP has set up 216 polling stations with 754 polling booths in this constituency where a total of 218,795 registered voters can cast their vote.
Twenty-eight candidates are contesting from NA 54 including PML-N's ticket holder and former MNA (2008-2013) Anjum Aqeel Khan, PTI's Asad Umar (who was elected from this constituency in 2013 though it was then NA-48), former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf's younger brother Raja Imran Ashraf (PPP) and another PML-N disgruntled candidate Hafeezur Rehman Tipu. The constituency consists of a mix of urban and rural areas of Islamabad Capital Territory from Sector G-10 to Tarnol and includes sectors E-8, E-9, E-10, F-8, F-9, F-10, G-10, H-10, I-10, Tarnol and Golra Sharif.
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