Electioneering has started gaining momentum in the provincial capital as well as the rest of Balochistan in the run up to the polls. The political parties taking part in the elections as well as the independent candidates can be seen holding corner meetings in the province. Some of the political parties are also involved in seat-to-seat adjustment.
On the other hand, the political parties running a polls boycott campaign, too, have increased the pace of their activities to convince people not to go for balloting on February 18.
In the run up to the elections, politics of ‘give and take’ and maneuvering has also gained momentum. To give tough time to the former Balochistan chief minister Jam Muhammad Yusuf, Pakistan People’s Party has started making contacts with the nationalist parties in the NA-270 constituency.
Pakistan People’s Party is trying to make sure that its candidate wins against Jam Yusuf. As quid pro quo, it is ready to support the candidates of nationalist parties’ nominated candidates for national and provincial assemblies in Awaran, Khuzdar and Kallat.
The former chief minister Balochistan, Jam Muhammad Yusuf, maintains that in the past, too, alliances have been forged against him, but success has always greeted him. The former CM countered the opposition by saying that people look at the welfare work done and that he had always given priority to serving the masses.
Jam claims that he has taken a lot of measures to solve the problems of the masses, including unemployment. Similarly, on PB-39 seat-to-seat adjustment has taken place between Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Under the adjustment, PML-N candidate and former member national assembly Sardar Atif Sanjrani has withdrawn in favour of JUI-F candidate Malik Sikandar advocate. Whereas, for the provincial assembly seat PB-39, JUI-F’s Maulana Muhammad Alam has withdrawn in favour of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sardar Atif Sanjrani.
Political circles are giving heavy weightage to this seat-to-seat adjustment. From this National Assembly constituency, former federal minister Sardar Fatah Muhammad Husni and PPP candidate Sardar Umar Gorgaij are also contesting. After this seat-to-seat adjustment, position of JUI-F candidate Malik Sikandar advocate has improved in comparison to the other candidates. A very tough competition is expected on this seat.
It is important to note that in the past, JUI-F candidate Hafiz Hussain Ahmed won from this constituency. This time around, Hafiz Hussain has been sidelined, as he has not been awarded party ticket. Political circles believe that the silence of Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a senior politician, has also created problems for the present JUI-F candidate Sikandar advocate.
In Balochistan, the most important constituency for the National Assembly is NA-261 covering Pishin and Ziarat. In past, Pakhtunkwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai succeeded in securing the seat.
Previously, the constituency has been an electoral battlefield for JUI-F and PkMAP candidates. This time around, the JUI-F’s traditional rival party PkMAP is not contesting the elections as it has opted to boycott what it terms as ‘fraudulent’ elections.
The contest this time around is between PML-Q’s Sarwar Khan Kakar and independent candidate former governor Balochistan Syed Fazl Agha. In this constituency, Awami National Party (ANP)’s candidate Rasheed Nasir has withdrawn in favour of PML-Q candidate Sarwar Kakar. In return, PML-Q will support ANP candidates on two seats: PB-8 Pishin-I and PB-10 Pishin-III.
The election boycott campaign by the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) has also gained momentum in the province. Lately, a boycott campaign rally was held in provincial capital Quetta. This gathering was attended by a significant number of people. Prominent among the participants were Central Convener All Parties Democratic Movement Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Chief of National Party Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, Central President Pakistan Tehrik Insaf Imran Khan, leader of Jamaat-e-Islami and former senior provincial minister Sirajul Haq, Central President Jamhori Watan Party Nawabzada Talal Akbar Bugti, Balochistan National Party’s Habib Jalib Baloch and Dr Qadir Magsi.
The opposition leaders renewed their resolve for independence of judiciary, free media, true democracy and against what they termed ‘fraudulent’ elections. 
Another election rally was addressed by Pakistan Muslim League-Q Punjab President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former chief minister Balochistan Jam Muhammad Yusuf, PML-Q nominated candidate from NA-260 Sardar Fatah Muhammad Muhammad Husni, party candidate from NA-259 Anwarul Haq Kakar, former minister for state Naseerullah Mengal, former provincial minister Yunus Changezi, Naseer Kakar, Naseemur Rehman, Dr Ruqaya Hashmi, Arbab Hashim, Obaidullah Agha, Naseebullah Achakzai and Abid Lehri. The speakers claimed that the PML-Q would win against the PPP and the PML-N, who, they said, had lost their identity and that the media generated impression of their success was false.
They claimed that PML-Q would secure 115 out of 148 National Assembly seats from Punjab and 250 out of 290 in the Punjab provincial assembly.