UMERKOT, May 23: Re-election on 47 polling stations for two each seats of National Assembly and provincial assembly (NA-229, NA-230, PS-62, PS-63) of Tharparkar is scheduled for June 1 to decide fate of contestants, which hangs in the balance since the election commission withheld their result.

The Election Commission of Pakistan announced re-election after the administration failed to conduct election on May 11 at the 47 polling stations, most of which were either torched or ransacked by miscreants belonging to rival groups.

The contest for NA-229 is the most significant. Arbabs have never lost it in any elections. Even in election of 1988 when PPP had swept across the province late Arbab Ameer Hassan, elder brother of Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, had won the seat comfortably as an independent candidate.

Fakir Sher Mohammad Bilanani of PPPP was gaining with 627 votes on his rival Arbab Khan Sahib Togachi of Peoples Muslim League (PML), according to unofficial result, when the final result was withheld by the ECP due to disturbances on four polling stations of NA-229.

Mr Bilanani had secured 84,818 with Arbab on his heels with 84,191 votes. Now, the remaining 3,809 voters of the constituency will decide who they will crown to be their new leader in the assembly.

On NA-230, Shah Mehmood Qureshi of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was leading with 1,611 votes against Pir Noor Mohammad Shah Jilani of PPPP before the results were withheld in the wake of incidents of violence and disturbances at 43 polling stations.

About 41,257 voters will now have to decide whether they want Pir of Multan or Pir of Thar as their representative. According to unofficial result, Makhdoom had secured 45,612 votes and Jilani 44,001 on May 11.

On PS-62 (Nagarparkar), re-election will be held on 15 polling stations. Makhdoom Khalil, son of Makhdoom Amin Fahim, was leading with around 4,000 votes on his rival Arbab Anwer Jabbar of PML before close of the polling on May 11, with Makhdoom Khalil bagging 29,044 votes and Arbab 24,888. About 15,000 voters will decide their fate on June 1.

On PS-63 (Chhachhro), re-election is going to be held on 28 polling stations. Dr Ghulam Haider Samejo of PML had secured 20,899 votes and his rival Dost Ali Rahimoon of PPPP 15,937 before close of voting.

Pir Pagara, chief of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional whose candidates had proved to be vote spoilers on May 11, has now asked his followers to vote for anti-PPP candidates in Tharparkar re-election.

Whereas, PPP leadership has asked its MNAs and MPAs-elect to personally supervise each polling station in Thar. Syed Qaim Ali Shah, president of Sindh chapter of PPP, visited Tharparkar along with a number of senior party leaders in this connection on May 22 to canvass for the party candidates.

Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi has already announced he will stay in Tharparkar and make a last ditch effort to defeat his opponent.

Arbab Ghulam Rahim-led group had swept Thar polls in general elections of 2002 and 2008 but his group has suffered defeat on a number of seats for the first time since then in the just-concluded election.