The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Senator Aneesa Zeb Tahirkhaili, has said that there cannot be rigging in the local bodies polls because the stakeholders are at the grass-roots level. She was talking to reporters after formally inaugurating Lice Rostrum news agency here on Saturday.
The minister said that in the general elections the candidate is one and the constituency is very vast.
However, in the local bodies polls there are various candidates are in a 'Mohallas' and 'lanes' who do not allow wrong practices to occur. As such, there seems to be no reason for expressing any doubt in this respect.
"Unfortunately, there is a trend in our society that whosoever loses alleges that there was rigging. There is a need to bring to an end such an approach" Ms. Aneesa remarked.
She was of the view that greatness lies in exhibiting large heartedness. Those who win should become humble and those who lose should accept the defeat with an open mind. When asked about the rationale of holding the local bodies polls on non-party basis but it was seen that practically the political parties actively participated in the process, the minister remarked that the matter was given a lot of consideration and there was a lobby that this election should have been on party basis.
However, because these polls are on the grass-roots level and it was thought that there be a body which is not partisan and there be no label of a party, she added.
Ms. Aneesa was of the view that the political people cannot be stopped from participating in the local bodies polls because they are also voters which is their basic right. Everyone has sympathy as well as support. She said that the candidates who would emerge victorious in these elections will not be having the label of any party and the programme they will pursue would be considered the voice of the entire council.