KARACHI, Feb 10: The voting pattern observed in National Assembly constituency NA-250 by-election, showed the Muttahida Qaumi Movement candidate, Akhlaq Husain Abidi leading from the start on Saturday.
Presiding officers of different polling stations, however, said voting could not start on time either because polling agents did not turn up or there were no voters. Polling began at around 9am at most polling stations. There were 135 polling stations set up in the constituency and polling held from 8am to 5pm without break.
What had so far been a peaceful election campaign was marred on polling day by incidents of violence, polling, however was not disturbed.
In a major incident, the PPP candidate, Nafees Siddiqui said he was roughed up by MQM activists at the Saifia School Polling Station at Haqqani Chowk. In the second incident that occurred at Aisha Bawany College of Commerce and Science on Sharea Faisal, three supporters belonging to both groups were injured in a shooting incident.
In many polling stations, the MQM and PPP election camps were crowded by workers in the later hours. Only at one polling station, PS-83, a long queue of voters on the male polling booth around was seen at 9.45 am. Around 100 votes had been cast including five ladies votes.
The polling agents of PPP candidates appeared to take no interest in bringing their supporters out to vote for their candidate. Even those that were present at various polling stations either left the polling stations after hearing of the Saifia School and Aisha Bawany incidents.
At the Aisha Bawany college polling station, Waseem Jaferi, who said he was the in charge of the PPP election camp at Bizzerta Lines told Dawn that they had withdrawn their agents for want of security after the firing incident.
In P&T Colony, at Polling Station No 119, set up for voters of Kehkashan and Clifton, at one pm only 12 female and six male voters had cast their vote.
At the Government Commerce College on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, a bigger rush was witnessed at the PPP camp than the MQM candidate’s camp.
No policeman was present in the polling booths premises. The police was mainly deployed outside the polling stations while the rangers and police were patrolling throughout the constituency, particularly Burnes Road, Pakistan Chowk, Aisha Bawany College, P&T Colony, Shirin Jinnah Colony and Shahrah-e-Liaquat. In these areas the rush around election camps of the main candidates was witnessed after 12 pm.
At the polling stations situated in the Government woman’s college, DJ College and, Saifia school when polling agents of PPP candidate attempted to question the voters, a tension started brewing up. The CCPO was also seen visiting the DJ college polling station around 11 am.
A election commission team deputed to monitor the election visited the Shirin Jinnah Colony polling station around 1.30 pm.
The following chronology of voting is being mentioned to show voter turnout at different polling stations, visited by the Dawn team.
At the offices of provincial election commission Pakistan Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad talking to Dawn by phone from Islamabad said that the international observers who would be visiting the polling stations had not come from abroad but were deputed by some embassies from European countries for monitoring the election process.
By 9.45 am at PS-83 Hyderi Public School 97 male and 4 women votes were cast while around 3 pm 413 male and 99 female votes were cast.
At PS-23 DJ college only 54 male and 5 female votes were cast while at PS-31 Govt Woman College 54 male and 19 female votes and on PS 32 30 male and 9 female voters had exercised their franchise.
By 12.30 pm at the PS 116, Najam Delhi school 10 male and 2 female and at PS 118 GGSS P7T colony 95 male and 74 female votes were cast. In PS-119 six male and 12 female voters while at PS-120 290 male and 171 female, at PS-121 338 male and 178 female votes were cast.
At the camp of the PPP candidate, ex-MNA and PPP leader Afaq Shahid said that their women voters were being harassed and their polling agent had been threatened.
Between 1.30 and 2 pm at PS-65 and Ps-66 Shirin Jinnah Colony 85 and 69 male and 41 and 19 female votes respectively had been cast while at PS-58and 59 at GBSS Shirin Jinnah Colony 161 and 128 male and 38 and 27 female votes respectively were cast.
Likewise by 3 pm at PS-79 and PS-80 Aisha Bawani Govt College 407 and 181 male and 179 and 180 female votes respectively were cast while by 4 pm at PS-3 and PS-4 Saifia School 645 and 547 male and 392 and 305 female votes respectively were cast.
A flurry of activity was seen in the Frere Town area, especially in the MQM elections camps. The central election camp also set up in Frere Town close to the Teen Talwar witnessed intense activity.
However, an upbeat mood was seen at the PPP election camp set up in Hijrat Colony where a voters rush was seen at their camp.
A flurry of activity was seen in the Frere town area, especially in the MQM elections camps. The central election camp also set up in Frere town close to the Teen Talwar witnessed intense activity. Large deployment of law enforces was also seen at the camp.
Visit to the several polling stations in the Gizri area given an impression of smooth sailing for the MQM.
A party worker posted outside the government boy’s secondary school in Gizri told this reporter that by 1 pm they have a projection of 400 votes in their favour. He said that since morning voters had started coming to cast their votes.
However, a somewhat upbeat mood was seen the PPP election camp set up in Hijrat Colony where voters rush was seen at their camp.
KARACHI, Feb 10: The voting pattern observed in National Assembly constituency NA-250 by-election, showed the Muttahida Qaumi Movement candidate, Akhlaq Husain Abidi leading from the start on Saturday.
In P&T Colony, at Polling Station No 119, set up for voters of Kehkashan and Clifton, at one pm only 12 female and six male voters had cast their vote.
