FAISALABAD: Many PPP supporters have changed loyalty as the party leadership has failed to field any noteworthy candidate for the local elections.

Sheikh Saglain is one such party supporter who regrets that the PPP had two former prime ministers from Punjab -Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf -but it is now seen nowhere for the allimportant local polls.

Giving in to the pressure of his family and friends, Saglain will vote for Sheilch Mohammad Aslam, a candidate for Union Council 152 (PP-72) chairman, who has been fielded bythe PML-N. For vice chairman, the ruling party is relying on Zawar Gull.

Gull has been associated with the PPP for years, however, this time he is contesting on the PML-N ticket. Most of his friends are supporting him citing poor performance of the PPP leaders and their policy of ignoring the workers.

PPP District President Tariq Bajwa conceded that the party was suffering because of the `opportunists` who enjoyed association when the PPP was in the government and ditched it in hard times.

He said Farooq Saeed served as the textile minister, Nawab Sher Waseer as chairman of the prime minister and Raja Riaz Ahmed as senior Punjab minister. They failedto play their due role for the party revival and it could not award tickets at most places.

Saeed belongs to Samundri, Waseer to Jaranwala and Raja Riaz to city area. In all these areas, canvassing for the PTI and PML-N candidates is in full swing.

Bajwa said people still loved Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and in some areas the candidates were using their pictures on their banners and steamers.

Speaking to Dawn, Saglain said it was not an easy decision for him to canvass for the PML-N candidate but the PPP had failed to award ticket to any worker in this UC and the central leadership must take action against the negligent leadersof Faisalabad. He said once this union council had a strong PPP vote bank that reduced with the passage of time and now a number of staunch workers had joined other parties or preferred to stay away.

Fareed Raza, another worker of the PPP, is now supporting PTI candidate Ibrar Rasheed in UC 151.

He said as the party had not introduced any candidate, `we are free to cast our votes.

Abid Ali of Chak 41-JB claimed that his family had a lot of contributions to the PPP and `we are now going through a rough patch, thanks to the indifference of leaders.` At present, he said, there is no one in the PPP to lead the worl(ers and motivate them.