ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Peoples’ Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is optimistic about better results for the party in the next general elections as he started the mobilisation campaign in Punjab, the influential province. Punjab, not Sindh, was the PPP’s stronghold after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto launched the party in 1967 but for the last several years, the party has lost its power and despite performing well in Sindh, has become the third party in the national assembly after the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

The PPP especially preformed badly in the 2013 and the 2018, forcing several politicians to either join the PML-N or the PTI to save their politics.

As Bilawal rose to prominence in the PPP, the party’s ticket in Punjab was no longer a winning bet. The last elections were a total disappointment with almost no representation in the Punjab provincial and the national assemblies.

Bilawal vowed to make amends but it is an uphill task. There have however, been signals that the next general elections could see the party recover from the wilderness.

Although, there can be no precise predictions in politics, there is no reason to believe the party will win any major portion in Punjab but some share in the national assembly and a better position in the Punjab assembly could be good enough to encourage the party workers.

The present scenario is the worst point for the PPP in Punjab as even during the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad’s time, the party had won a good percentage of votes in the populous province.

At his latest campaign in Punjab, Bilawal said that they were fully prepared for the long march against the government and the no-confidence motion will be successful once the opposition is ready.

He criticised opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif for not playing his role efficiently. “The PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) started demanding resignation from the PPP which led to the differences in the opposition alliance. Whenever Shehbaz Sharif gave a statement, a voice came from behind that this is his personal decision,” he added.

Bilawal said the PPP will bring a no-confidence motion first in Punjab and then in the National Assembly. “We will win a large number of seats not only in the centre but also in Punjab,” he claimed.

Close aides said Bilawal was positive about the party’s return to power through a better performance in the Punjab province.

Leader of the opposition in Senate Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, a former Prime Minister, said Bilawal had started the mobilisation campaign of party workers in Punjab.

“The PPP is regaining support not only in South Punjab but also across the country due to its public-friendly ideology,” he maintained.

PPP Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf, also a former Prime Minister, said under Bilawal’s leadership, the PPP will perform well in the province whenever the next elections are held.

“The PPP workers only need mobilisation. The party has roots in the province and will make a comeback,” he told The Nation.

Ashraf said Bilawal’s visit to Punjab had been successful. “People are joining the PPP. There will be more visits (by Bilawal) which will improve the party’s position,” he remarked.

There were reports the PPP had offered Prime Minister and the Punjab Chief Minister’s slots to the PML-N if the no-confidence motion against the PM and the Punjab CM are successful.

An in-house change in the Centre and Punjab is impossible without the support of the PML-N which is the second largest party in both the Punjab and the national assemblies. The PTI-led governments in the centre and the Punjab province only have a thin majority which can be broken if less than 10 members – especially the smaller allies - in both the assemblies change loyalties.

The PPP has been trying to convince the PML-N leaders that the disgruntled PTI members and the ruling party’s allies were prepared for an in-house change in the Centre and Punjab.

The PPP claims around 25 members of the government and its allies in the National Assembly and 31 in the Punjab Assembly will back the PPP and the PML-N.

If the no-confidence move is successful, the PPP would like the proposed PML-N-led government to call early elections.