Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf is in no mood to form any kind of alliance with any other party. In fact there is a strong resistance from the common members of PTI who want the party to contest upcoming elections alone. Fighting general elections without any alliance is a significant move which can have either devastating results or get PTI to new unimaginable heights.
The recent dormant phase of the PTI where the party was busy in its intra-party elections, created many doubts as to the claims of PTI’s Tsunami to sweep the general elections. Even some more optimistic members of the party got worried. The opinion polls showed the party was going down. PML(Nawaz) was gaining momentum and topped most of the opinion polls. Even one German based poll showed Pakistan Peoples Party(PPP) topping the list, leaving behind both PMLN and PTI. The downfall of the party’s popularity had its roots in the fierce intra-party elections that it held. Members were contesting against each other for party positions. The intra-party elections were so fierce that for some areas the disagreements went to such heights that polls were canceled many times. This process naturally was to affect the party’s overall momentum that it gained from October 30, 2011 Jalsa of Lahore.
However, the tough decision that the PTI’s leadership took to hold Intra-Party elections would prove to be a real strategic move in the long run. It will definitely pay off its dividends. Infact, we already are seeing those dividends. The massive 23rd March Jalsa at Minar-e-Pakistan, which took place just two days after the intra-party elections ended, is a great example of it. PTI can very well, and rightly so, boast of this achievement. It is obviously the first time in the history of Indo-Pakistan that a party has held such kind of intra-party elections.
Now that PTI has started its campaign for general elections by holding such a successful Jalsa, its ratings are most likely to go up. The attendance of such large number of people from all over Pakistan is a trust that is being showed towards PTI and Imran Khan. The party seems to have gained a renewed momentum from this Jalsa. It is now up to them how they make use of this momentum and turn it into their true advantage if they are to sweep the upcoming elections. Because there is going to be a massive resistance from opposite side.
The resistance is going to be from two sides, one is the PPP which to be frank still has quite appreciable vote bank atleast in Sindhi country areas, and the other is PMLN which has formed massive alliances with different parties around the country. Both PPP and PMLN are placing their bets on their winnable candidates. PMLN especially is leader in this game. It has bagged most of the winnable candidates. Nawaz Sharif has left no stone unturned to bring those candidates to his party who could win a seat for him. Even the members of PML(Q) with whom he would even refuse to shake hands for being buddies of former President Pervez Musharraf are all now members of his party. In Sindh he has formed alliance with Pir Pagara’s PML(Functional) and Mumtaz Bhutto while in Balochistan Akhtar Mengal and he are most likely to form alliance.
All in all, it’s PTI vs rest of the parties. PTI has to fight them all. Now how well they fight against all these parties would depend on the PTI’s election campaign strategy. An effective strategy, which could make room in voters’ hearts in these 47 days, would be of great importance. As the power to give power to any party is in the hands of the people. The people have to decide who could best represent them. Lets see if they are going to choose those winnable candidates in business as usual style or they choose PTI’s theory of change!
