Why PTI suffered defeat in the first phase of KP local government elections?
PTI not only lost 50 out of 64 Tehsil chairman but also all four city mayor elections in the largest cities
The shocking
defeat of PTI candidates in key city mayor elections including Peshawar and
Tehsil chairman elections have forced the leadership including party chairman
and Prime Minister Imran Khan to look into the factors that caused this humiliating
defeat.
The ruling
party could not grab even a single mayoral seat out of the four. The PTI could
only manage to win one tehsil in Peshawar out of six tehsils in Sunday's LG
elections while the Opposition parties, particularly JUI-F, have made
significant gains at the expense of PTI.
According to
the initial responses and reactions of the most PTI leaders in KP are
indicating that three major factors contributed in the defeat of PTI in KP
Local government elections. The price hike and tsunami of high inflation,
internal infighting within PTI and wrong
choices of candidates were the main reasons of this defeat.
PM Imran
Khan took to his official Twitter handle to admit that his party had “paid the
price” for its mistakes and wrote that he would “personally” be overseeing
PTI’s LG election strategy in the second phase of K-P’s local body polls as
well as those held across the country.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan has also said that tickets will not be awarded on the basis
of favouritism and bribery in future as PTI faced a major setback in the Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa local body polls due to "incompetent" people.
The PM’s
tweet came in the wake of the ruling PTI suffering a major blow as the JUI-F
cruised to victory with its candidate grabbing the pivotal post of the Peshawar
mayor in the first phase of the local government elections held in K-P since
the merger of tribal districts.
It is good
to see that PM and other PTI leaders are admitting that party made mistakes in
the first phase of KP LG elections held in 17 districts. Generally, political
parties in Pakistan blame others for their defeat due to their own mistakes and
wrong strategy.
PTI still making a mistake in analysing the reasons of its debacle. They are focusing on internal differences and wrong choice of candidates as the main reasons of this defeat. There is no doubt that internal party infighting did damage the party.
The wrong
choices of candidates also attribute in this defeat. But story didn’t end here.
It is also matter of the fact that many PTI leaders were not ready to contest
elections on PTI ticket. They prefer to contest as independent candidates.
But the
matter of fact is that PTI suffered humiliating defeat due to poor performance
of KP and federal governments and price
hike.
It seems that PM Imran Khan is not ready to accept that inflation and poor performance attributing to this defeat. He is rather focusing on wrong choice of candidates and internal differences as the major reasons of this poor result.
The gas crisis and power loadsheding also contributed in the anger. There were high hopes that PTI will introduce reforms and improve the governace. Without improving the performance of the provincial and federal governments and controling the rising iinflation, PTI might not be able to recover the lost ground in KP.
Many PTI supporters are not happy with the CM Mehmood Khan. But
PM Imran Khan wants to continue him as CM KP. The hopes of people who votes for
PTI are fading now.
It will be
wrong to attribute this defeat just to internal fighting and wrong tickets. The
real problem is the failure of the PTI government to deliver on its election
promises and pledges.
The other
main factor was the over-confidence of PTI leaders. They dismissed the
opposition parties including JUI-F and ANP as being permanently rejected by the
voters. The party over-estimated its own strength and under-estimated the
strength of opposition parties.
The party
was thinking that they defeated the opposition parties in 2018 general elections
with thumping victory. And people are still solidly standing behind the party. This
assessment was a mistake and pay the ultimate price.
The party also heavily relied on Health cards and Ehsas programme to win over the voters. This strategy and reliance to lure voters failed. PTI ignored the party organisation and workers in last few years. Instead, the party relied on MPAs and MNAs and bureaucracy to muster support. The leadership ditched the workers and relied on electables and powerful families in different districts.
PTI hasn’t learnt from PPP.
PPP was relying heavily on Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) to win over
women voters and their families through the monthly stipend and other initiatives. PPP government ignored the party organisation and diehard workers.
But BISP failed to win it millions of women voters who were beneficiaries of this social programme to reduce poverty and to financially help the families living in abject poverty. pTI is repeating the mistakes made by PPP leadership from 2008 to 2013 while in power. PTI is not ready to learn from history so it bound to repeat them.
The people are not happy and satisfied with the performance of both the federal and provincial governments. The voters want to see a clear change in economic policies and direction.
They are not ready to buy the argument put forward by PTI leaders and ministers that Pakistan is the cheapest country in the world. The voters in KP have rejected this argument and send them clear message to bring down the prices or face the music.
Khalid Bhatti
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