LAHORE, Aug 18: The Pakistan People`s Party has targeted one national and four provincial constituencies for Aug 22 by-polls in Punjab, believing it has good chances there.

Of the six national and 14 provincial assembly seats where by-polls will be held in Punjab, the PPP is practically campaigning in five constituencies NA-177 (Muzaffargahar), PP-193 (Okara), PP-188 (Mandi Bahauddin), PP-292 (Rahim Yar Khan) and PP-217 (Khanewal).

Some PPP leaders Dawn spoke to on Saturday said the party was particularly focusing on these five constituencies where its candidates were on better ground as compared to the others.

`It is of no use to spend money and energy on the seats where the party seemingly has no chances of winning,` a PPP leader from central Punjab said in response to the complaint of many party candidates that the provincial leadership was neither organising any rally in their constituencies nor giving them funds.

`We know the PPP has no chances in the districts like Lahore and Faisalabad, which are PML-N strongholds.

Therefore, there has been no specific direction to the workers from the leadership to do hard work over there,` he said.

On the other hand, the PPP candidates for the five `targeted` constituencies are getting full support from their leadership.

In PP-193, Khurram Jahangir Wattoo, son of PPP Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo, is contesting against PML-N`s Noorul Amin Wattoo. Manzoor Wattoo and his party workers have been running an aggressive campaign in the constituency to secure this seat.

Similarly, Ghulam Rabbani Khar, father of former foreign minister Hina Rabbani, is again flexing his muscles against popular politician Jamshed Dasti`s brother, Javed Dasti, in NA-177 (Muzaffargarh).

Last time, Jamshed Dasti had defeated Rabbani Khar by more than 53,000 votes. The PML-N has not fielded its own candidate in the constituency apparently after reaching an agreement with Dasti to support his brother. Dasti had given vote to Nawaz Sharif for the prime minister`s election.

Former Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood`s family member Makhdoom Ali Akbar is in the run for PP-292, Rahim Yar Khan. The PPP claims Mr Akbar will easily win the seat as the Makhdooms have a huge political influence there and that the seat was vacated by Mr Mahmood`s son.

In PP-217 (Khanewal), the PPP has fielded Ahmar Hussain Cheema against the PML-N`s Babar Hussain. Cheema had challenged the dual national status of Hussain besides some central PPP leaders had been canvassing for their candidate.

The PPP`s former parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly, Maj Zulifqar Gondal (retired), is contesting for PP118 (Mandi Bahuaddin) against PML-N`s Chaudhry Abbas Bosal.

`I have good chances as people have come to know that the PMLN is not the party of the poor seeing its two-month performance, Zulifqar Gondal said. He said in the May election PML-Q leader Chaudhry Moonis Elhai had won the seat with PPP support.

PPP Punjab Information Secretary Raja Amer told Dawn that the party`s vote bank would increase in the by-polls, primarily because of the people`s realisation that the PML-N had betrayed them. `The PML-N had made tall claims with regard to ending loadshedding, price hike and terrorism during the May 11 elections but after coming into power it failed to fulfill any of its promises.` The PPP would give a `surprise` in the bypolls in Punjab, he added.