28 March 2004	Sunday	06 Safar 1425

HYDERABAD, March 27: The Mutahidda Qaumi Movement, which earlier boycotted the local government polls, has fielded its candidates on almost all categories for the by-elections scheduled for March 28 in Sindh.

In union council-9 of the Hyderabad City taluka, a close contest for Naib Nazim's seat is expected between MQM's Faheem Baig and People's Party Parliamentarians-backed Awam Dost Panel's candidate Nisar Halepoto. There are nine candidates for the seat.

The polling will begin at 9am and continue till 5pm without any break. Polling staff and material have been sent to the district's talukas.

Police have been deployed at the polling stations.

According to the election commission office, the number of registered Muslim voters is 264,227, including 122,175 women, in City, Latifabad, Qasimabad, Hala, Tando Allahyar and Tando Mohammad Khan talukas. The number of non-Muslim voters is 6,186, including 2,843 women.

MIRPURKHAS: Forty-one candidates are in the run for 14 seats in 11 union councils of the district.

As many as 27 candidates have returned unopposed.

The by-election will be held for the seats of Nazims of union council-5, Mirpurkhas city, union council-6, Pabban, union council-3, Mir Imam Bux Talpur, and union council-5, Satrio, and 10 councillor seats.

A tough contest is expected between MQM-backed candidate Tariq Baloch and PPP-supported candidate Syed Qurban Ali Shah for seat of UC-5 Nazim.

There are 103 polling stations in the district.

In Sanghar district, the election will be held for two seats as 44 candidates have been elected unopposed.

In Tharparkar, no election will be held as 28 candidates, including two for Nazims' seats, have returned unopposed.

BADIN: The by-election will be held for six seats as no nomination papers have been filed for five seats and 24 candidates have been elected unopposed.

KHAIRPUR: District Nazim Khairpur Syed Nafisa Shah, through a written communication, has asked the army authorities for deployment of army and Rangers personnel during the by-election in the district.

She said the police on behest of the government was harassing the ADP candidates for various seats.

Meanwhile, 58 candidates for general and reserved seats of councillors in 36 union councils of the district have been elected unopposed. The election will be held for 66 seats.

Talking to journalists, Khairpur Dost Panel leader Abdul Majeed Arain claimed that 50 of the councillors who returned unopposed belonged to the panel which was supported by the Pakistan Muslim League (Functional.)

DADU: As many as 43 candidates have been elected unopposed and no nomination papers have been filed for 36 vacant seats in the by-election.

This was stated by the Dadu assistant election commissioner Tanvir Haider Zaidi while talking to journalists.

He said now polling would be held only for 34 seats.

The official said 234 polling stations, with 802 polling booths, had been established in the district for the election, scheduled for March 28.