KARACHI: All arrangements for holding by-elections on June 2 in two provincial constituencies in Karachi (PS-106 and PS-117) and one in Naushahro Feroz (PS-22) were given final touches at a meeting held at the provincial election commission on Monday.
Besides police, Rangers personnel would be deployed inside and outside the sensitive and the most sensitive polling stations, said Election Commissioner of Sindh Tanveer Zaki while briefing the media after presiding over the meeting.
In all, there are 144 polling stations declared most sensitive and 119 sensitive in the three constituencies.
Mr Zaki said four monitoring teams had been formed for each district to supervise the polling process while some Pakistan Election Commission officials would also monitor the polling.
The meeting was attended by returning and deputy returning officers, deputy commissioners, SSPs, a representative of DG Rangers, additional secretary for education, and representatives of the commissioner and the home secretary.
Naushahro Feroze
The PS-22 seat had fallen vacant due to the unseating of Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Dr Abdul Sattar Rajpar. There are 98 polling stations — 56 sensitive, 23 most sensitive and 19 normal — in the Naushahro Feroz constituency.
While there are 30 candidates in the run, the main contest is likely to be among Abdul Sattar Rajpar of the PPP, Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Mohammad Qasim Solangi of the Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-F, Shah Nawaz Larik of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Rana Aftab Ahmad of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Riaz Husain Rajpar of PPP-SB and Mohammad Aqib Rajpar of the Sindh United Party.
Karachi
The PS-106 seat fell vacant with the resignation of MQM lawmaker Iftikhar Alam who joined Pak Sarzameen Party.
There are 14 candidates in the field, while the main contest is likely among MQM candidate Mehfoozyar Khan, PPP’s Sardar Abdul Samad, PTI’s Nusrat Anwar, and Pasban’s Jawad Sheerazi.
Of the 100 polling stations in the constituency, there are 77 most sensitive and 23 sensitive polling stations.
The PS-117 seat, too, fell vacant when MQM lawmaker Dr Saghir Ahmad resigned to join the PSP. There are 84 polling stations, including 40 sensitive and 44 most sensitive, in the constituency.
There are 10 candidates in the run while the main contest is likely among S.M. Qamar Abbas Rizvi of the MQM, Javed Maqbool Butt of the PPP, Rafaqat Umar of PTI, Naeem Shah of the JUI-F and Zia-ur-Rahman of Pasban.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2016
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