As Election Day nears, candidates not aspiring to contest polls would be withdrawing their candidature on Saturday. More than 13,000 candidates filed their nomination papers during November 20-26 for the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, the first phase of Election 2008 after the schedule was announced.
Nomination papers of few candidates were rejected during scrutiny by the returning officers and those who want to withdraw from the race will be quitting on December 15 (the withdrawal date).
On December 16, the election commission would be publishing the final list of the contesting candidates although the quitting continues till the last day. Lot of activity continues by candidates even after withdrawal, to win the support of their fellow contestants by influencing them at the level of clan and Baradari.
There have been scattered incidents of forgoing the party tickets by certain candidates due to local level differences as no major upset was witnessed for any party as predicted by some analysts.
People were foreseeing major defection in PML (Q) after return of Sharif brothers and decision to participate in election. The PML (N) dissociated from the APDM and said, their boycotting the election would be futile when other major parties were in the run. It is expected that a marathon election campaign would kick off once the candidature becomes clear and contestants come to know who is taking on whom.
Amidst repeated fears by the PPP-P leadership, electioneering goes on and all parties have tightened their belt to go for polls with full might. Even PPPP is fully participating and their leader Benazir Bhutto is visiting different parts of country to motivate voters.
With most of candidates already campaigning in their respective constituencies, the political parties are now scheduling the visits of their stalwarts to different areas across the country.
Meanwhile, the election commission has made all out arrangements for holding election in a free, fair and transparent manner. Lot of new measures have been taken this time including preparation of computerised electoral rolls, transparent ballot boxes, polling screens, guide booklet for polling agents, training of election staff and orientation of the DROs and ROs. The election commission website also contains all information regarding elections with the electoral rolls to be posted there within the next few days.
Every possible effort has been made to make the polls error free and allay the fears of rigging. Just 25 days far, it is hoped that election is conducted safely and the nations peacefully bring this process to culmination by January 09 when hopefully the results would have been fully compiled.