Political parties facing difficulties in awarding poll tickets

Major political parties are facing difficulties in finalizing candidates for the upcoming general elections and most of them have adopted the wait and see policy in this regard. Though the parliamentary parties of the political parties had conducted interview of the candidates for both National and provincial assemblies' constituencies. But, due to the eminent repercussions they are taking time in unveiling the names of candidates.
The nationalist ANP is ahead of other political parties as it had announced candidates from of the constituencies from the province. However, it had also created differences in the party and its leadership had forced to expel senior party activist like Ihrar Khattak of Nowhera and Khanzada Mohammad Islam of Swabi.
After refusal of party tickets, both veteran nationalist politicians have announced to contest polls as independent candidates. PPP once a popular political party in the province is also facing difficulties in finalizing the name candidates. According to party sources, the parliamentary board had interviewed more than 281 candidates from the province. The aspiring candidates also included some of the former PTI legislators, who have been expelled over alleged horse-trading in the last Senate polls.
PTI has expelled 20 members of the dissolved provincial assembly and most of them were anxious to join PPP and participate in the upcoming general elections on its ticket. The party has accepted Ziaullah Afridi, Obaid Mayar and Nagina Khan into party fold. But, later it stopped the enrollment of more expelled legislators of other political parties.
Similarly, though PTI is claiming to the top popular political party of the province, but it also using delaying tactics in finalizing candidates for the upcoming general elections. Besides, its own old political workers, the party have attracted a large number of politicians from other political parties, which are now eyeing tickets for the upcoming general elections.
According to political observers and analysts, the popularity graph of PTI has declined in the city as compared to before the general election of 2013. The party has completed five-year term in office, but failed in bring the change promised with the people during last general elections.
The PTI has completed no major mega development scheme in the provincial metropolis while the ongoing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project has also made the lives of the people miserable. Business of traders on the BRT route has come to standstill and most of shopkeepers have closed down their businesses while the commuters also facing severe hardships in movement from city areas to Cantonment, Peshawar University and Hayatabad localities.
Furthermore, the PTI headed City District Government has also failed in the eradication of encroachments from the city. Before, the establishment of local governments, a successful anti-encroachment drive was carried out in the city. However, the elected local government failed to deliver further.
The revived religious-political alliance, Muthahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is also yet to finalize its candidates for the polls. The five religious-political parties' alliance has good vote bank in the province.
The alliance has already ruled the province for a period of five-year from 2002-2007 with Akram Khan Durrani of JUI-F as chief minister. However, the recent anti-FATA merger political posture of the JUI-F is making the sympathizers of the party reluctant and other components do also not like the anti-merger politics.