The success of a large number of independent candidates against those of the established political parties, in the just concluded local elections in Sindh and Punjab, has set some politicians thinking.

Indeed, it is a worrying development to the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah.

Twice this week, the PPP leader sounded the alarm in the National Assembly that it shows that people are getting disenchanted with the mainstream political parties and are turning to others to improve their lives. `Has anyone of us taken time to ponder over this worrisome trend?` he asked fellow parliamentarians on both occasions.

His passionate appeal to do so `before it`s too late` did not evoke vocal response from inside thehouse, though the ruling PML-N felt uncomfortable at the independents emerging close winners in its stronghold of Punjab.

Outside, however, many agreed with the veteran Khursheed Shah`s premonitions.

Political scientist Dr Rasool Bakhsh Rais traced the disturbing trend to the aversion that the present set of political parties, especially the PML-N and the PPP, have displayed to sharing power at the grassroots level. So, the rural voters went for the candidate in their midst rather than a far away party.

`Emergence of the independents has to do both with the ruling parties` reluctance to devolve power and local level political dynamics. In the local elections, affiliation with a candidate counts more to the voter than affiliation with a party.

A senior PML-N official, hailing from northern Punjab, noted that `political power does matter, moreso in Punjab, but local elections are all about egos and loyalty to the biradri (clan).` He had no doubts that the majority of those who won as independents will eventually join the ruling party.

`They fought as independents because the party denied them its ticket and they couldn`t forego their political influence,` he said, accepting that local political leadership across the political parties was `unhappy with the centralization of power.

Another PML-N MNA also agreed that `time has come for the political leaderships to review their hegemonic rules as life has not improved for the common man.

`Wherever you go in Punjab, people, particularly in rural areas, are not happy with the basic civic amenities provided to them. Fully empowered local governments are the answer to their woes,` he said, with eyes on the general elections in 2018.Dr Rais also feels that the major political parties have to `work, and work hard, for the greater good if they want to win back the confidence of the voters.

PPP faces a huge challenge in that context in Punjab, the bastion of power.

Its leader Khursheed Shah may be spot on in saying that once in power, the PML-N leadership cares less for the parliament. `Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his cabinet members visit the National Assembly only when they feel pressure from other quarters,` he recently said, alluding to the decisions taken about Rs40 billion in new taxes and privatizing the PIA outside the parliament.

Many political observers say the PML-N leadership has used the parliament to lean for riding over crises and not as an instrument to attend to the causes that bring about the crises.