February 16, 2008	Saturday	Safar 08, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 15: The lacklustre election campaign for the Feb 18 polls will come to a halt at midnight tonight (Saturday) while the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the race expired on Friday night in the metropolis as in all other parts of the country.

This is for the first time that the entire period of electioneering, which in fact was kicked off in Karachi with the return of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto from her self-imposed exile on Oct 18, remained eclipsed by uncertainty.

However, despite the suicide attack on her tumultuous welcome rally, the graph of crowds attending election meetings was on the rise.

The return of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and its President Shahbaz Sharif from forced exile on Nov 25 also gave a further boost to the election campaign.

However, the polls, which were scheduled initially for Jan 8, were put off till Feb 18 following Ms Bhutto’s assassination on Dec 27 in Rawalpindi.

Going by numbers

If one goes by the number of rallies, holding of public meetings or the display of banners and hoardings with election symbols, the scene remains mostly dominated by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) throughout the city. This is the only party which has fielded candidates on all National Assembly (NA) and Provincial Assembly (PS) seats of the metropolis.

There are 20 NA seats and 42 Sindh Assembly seats in the city.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), whose election campaign suffered a setback following the assassination of its charismatic leader, regained its momentum, but at the fag end of the campaign. It made its presence felt by unfurling party flags, displaying banners of the party’s candidates and organising rallies and corner meetings mostly in the old city areas, Malir and in some parts of Gulshan Town.

According to PPP leader Waqar Mehdi, the party had fielded candidates on all 20 NA seats and 42 PS seats. But after adjustments with some other former opposition parties, it ended up fielding candidates for 38 PS seats. However, he claimed the party would easily capture six NA and 12 to 14 PS constituencies.

The PML-N had also surfaced in some areas in the periphery of the city. Its presence is visible felt in Mehmoodabad, Azam Basti, Baloch Colony, Keamari and Baldia Town.

PML-N leader Sardar Rahim told Dawn that his party had fielded 17 candidates for NA seats and 47 for PS seats, adding that if free and fair elections were held, they expect to grab two NA seats and six to seven PS seats.

The Awami National Party (ANP), which had put up 10 candidates for NA seats and 18 for PS seats initially, was now contesting for only one NA seat and two PS seats, its Sindh chapter President Shahi Syed told Dawn.

Their campaigning was mostly limited to corner meetings concentrated in Site, Metroville, Banaras Colony and Landhi, seats where the party was confident of returning from.

The PML-Q, according to its provincial Information Secretary Halim Adil Shaikh, had fielded one candidate from NA-239 and three from PS-89, 90 and 126.

Mr Shaikh, who is contesting from PS-126, appeared to be the only PML-Q candidate who had carried out any sort of campaigning in his constituency through wall-chalking, taking out rallies and holding corner meetings.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, which is contesting elections from the platform of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), had initially put up 10 candidates for the NA seats and 16 for PS seats. According to Qari Mohammad Usman, who is also one of the candidates, the party’s position is strong in NA-239, 241 and 253 and PS-90, 91 and 94, comprising the areas of Keamari, Sultanabad, Baldia, Muhammadi Colony, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Sohrab Goth and Gulistan-i-Jauhar.