RULING Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) emerged as the biggest winner in Cantonment Board elections held across the country on Sunday.
According to preliminary results, the PTI bagged sixty-three seats, closely followed by the PML (N) which won 59.
These elections have been held after three years of PTI in power and the results indicate that the Party has not lost much ground despite the challenges such as that of the price hike because of which the people are very much perturbed. But there are also lessons to learn for the Ruling Party in the Cantonment elections.
The popularity of the Party appears to be largely intact in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but in Punjab it is way behind the PML (N) where the latter bagged fifty-one seats whilst the former twenty-eight.
Whilst the PML (N) will be happy to see these results, the Ruling Party has to do some course correction to stand better chance in the next general election as whosoever wins in Punjab forms government in the Centre.
The PTI is still left with two years in power and it must focus on fulfilling the promises it made with the masses in the previous elections and most importantly take concrete steps towards addressing the issue of price hike.
Without providing relief to the people, it will be difficult for the PTI to keep its popularity intact or regain the lost ground.
As regards Cantonment elections, it is important that the elected representatives are given the same administrative and financial powers as enjoyed by their counterparts in the district councils and mayors of corporations across the country. Amendments in this regard can be made in the relevant law.
The Federal Government must provide them with financial grants to carry out development work in their respective areas. Federal and Provincial Governments must now also move towards holding the Local Government elections.
Such a system should be introduced which really enables the local bodies to address the problems of the people at the grassroots level.
