Disgruntled Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who has announced to contest forthcoming elections as an independent candidate, on Saturday claimed that he would bag 172,000 votes.
Addressing a corner meeting here at Chontra, Nisar said that the people will send home the 'political opportunists' on July 25, as people who have served the masses will get votes. "I always did politics with head on and my chest out. I never bowed down before anyone. I don't need any ticket from any party," he said with reference to ongoing wrangling with his party leadership.
He recalled that last time he had won after getting 148,000 votes and this time around he would bag 172,000 votes, adding the political rivals who talk tall ahead of elections, will find no place to hide their faces on July 25.
Referring to his political rivals who are contesting from the same constituency, he said that not a single politician except him had undertaken any development work in the constituency since 1985.
"There was no metalled road, no gas and no electricity. Whatever development had been done in the area, it was done by no other than me. I did not set up any factory. Whatever I earned through politics, I returned to the people of my area," he added.
In an obvious reference to his rival Ghulam Sarwar Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he said that his (Sarwar's) sole qualification is that he had a fake BA degree, while he is matric fail, adding the sole achievement of him [Ghulam Sarwar] is that he is a Chaudhry Nisar's rival.
At the same time, there are reports that senior PML-N leadership has decided not to field any candidates against Nisar from the all the constituencies from where he is contesting elections in a bid to pacify the estranged party leader.