Lahore Gymkhana election seems a high-stakes event.

Byline: Mansoor Malik

LAHORE -- Canvassing for the Lahore Gymkhana elections 2020 concluded on Thursday night as the two panels - one led by outgoing chairman Kamran Lashari and the other by Dr Jawad Sajid Khan - showed their cards to the voters.

Mr Lashari vociferously pleaded his case for being entrusted with the all-important post once again on the basis of 'three-year performance' whereas Dr Khan presented his credentials while questioning former chairman's 'dictatorial rule and extravagant spending of members' funds.'

Around 5,500 permanent club members will use their right to franchise to elect a 12-member Committee of Management (CoM) in the polling scheduled to be held at Gymkhana on Saturday (today) from 10am to 6pm. Five independent candidates are also in the run.

Voters believe that the election will be interesting as three strong candidates (along with their patrons) have parted with Kamran Lashari's panel and joined Misbah-ur-Rehman panel, alleging that Mr Lashari had backtracked from his commitment.

Former club chairmen Salman Siddique and Fariduddin Ahmed had last time patronised Mr Lashari's panel and persuaded three strong candidates Prof Dr Jawad Sajid Khan, Dr Ali Razzaque and Ms Samira Maroof Khan to join the panel. There was, however, a commitment that Mr Lashari, upon winning, would serve as chairman for two years and hand over the charge to Dr Jawad Khan for the third year.

Contesting groups go all lengths to win support of voters

Speaking to Dawn, Mr Salman Siddique and Dr Khan said Mr Lashari went back on his commitment and continued serving as chairman and that too in a 'dictatorial manner'. 'This led us to part with Mr Lashari,' Dr Khan said.

Mr Lashari, however, said Dr Khan was not a team member and could not gel in with the elected team and continued acting as a splinter group. 'The executive body advised me not to hand over chairmanship to Dr Khan,' he claimed.

The renamed Dr Jawad/ Misbah panel is accusing the outgoing chairman of unilaterally deciding development work and spending huge money without taking the general body into confidence.

'Mr Lashari spent Rs400 million through his kitchen cabinet on ostentatious works but not a single new facility was added to the club,' Dr Khan alleged in his concluding speech. He demanded forensic audit of the money spent during the last three years.

Dr Khan said the three members who parted ways and Misbahur Rehman and Mian Parvez Bhandara continued demanding that the...