Historical Understanding of Electoral Politics of Kanju Family of District Lodhran (1947-2018)

Abstract

Kanju family is among the prominent political families of South Punjab. Their political career starts from the colonial period. They have a significant contribution in the development of political culture in South Punjab throughout the history of Pakistan. They have a list of prominent politicians and the most prominent of them are Siddique Khan Kanju and his son Abdul Rahman Khan. Currently they are leading ‘Shaheed Kanju Group’ in District Lodhran. This paper focuses on the electoral politics of Kanju family by creating a piece of historical understanding of family’s political development. It argues that their political contributions are not solely based on the absolute claims of family but are built on the caste based affiliations, management of ethnic identities and electoral adjustments. This argument is tested by following historical, dialectical and phenomenological research methods. Understanding different patterns of their electoral politics reveals the presence of people’s real participation in politics under the so-called banners of dynastic politics.