SANGHAR, May 9: Despite disappointment writ large on the faces of even the most diehard Pakistan Muslim League-Functional voters over the party’s decision to retain most of its candidates who have failed to deliver in the past, Pagara’s party faces no immediate backlash and appears poised to romp to victory in the upcoming polls in the district.

This time round, the disappointment is being felt more poignantly because the PML-F’s elected representatives have done little to develop the district which is literally a fort of the party with a large concentration of Pagara’s loyal devotees, the Hur Jamaat followers.

The district’s civic infrastructure is in dilapidated condition and the road network is in a shambles after it received a severe battering in the 2011 floods.

Backwardness and damaged infrastructure were the catchwords in many candidates’ speeches, which was perhaps one of the reasons several independent candidates have also jumped into the fray this year.

Sanghar has three National Assembly and six provincial assembly seats, which were swept by PML-F in the 2002 election. However, the party lost NA-236, PS-82 and 83 in the 2008 election.

In the constituencies of NA-234, 235 and PS-78, 79, 80, the PML-F enjoys an edge over its major rival PPP owing to the concentration of the devotees of Pir Pagara.

Moreover, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has not fielded candidates in these constituencies under the decision of the 10-party alliance and asked its voters, mostly Punjabi-speaking settlers, to cast their votes in favour of PML-F candidates.

To split the settlers’ vote, the PPP has fielded Punjabi-speaking candidates, Choudhry Aasim for PS-79 and Choudhry Abid Farooque for PS-78.

A tough fight is expected for NA-236 between former district nazim and PPP MNA Roshan Din Junejo, son of the late influential landlord Shah Nawaz Junejo, and PML-F’s Imamuddin Shouqeen, a well-known industrialist and philanthropist of the area.

On PS-81, the constituency of the late chief minister Jam Sadiq Ali, the PPP has awarded ticket to its former MNA Mohammad Khan Junejo against the PML-F’s Jam Madad Ali, former minister and leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly. The two will have to fight it out till the finish.

Faraz Dero of the PPP and Shakeel Mari of the PML-F are flexing their muscles for an interesting contest over PS-82. Both are newcomers to politics. The seat has remained with the PPP in the past but much has changed since then.

It will apparently be difficult for the party to win the seat this time after the exit of its influential leader, Mukhtiar Shoro, who called it quits recently to join the PML-F.

On PS-83, PML-F candidate Mohammad Bux Khaskheli is pitted against PPP’s Shahid Thaheem, son of the late PPP stalwart Abdul Salam Thaheem. This constituency has alternately rewarded both the parties with victories by razor-thin margins in past elections.

The contest for NA-235 has taken an interesting turn as both the PML-F and the PPP have fielded the best of their candidates. PML-F head Syed Sadruddin Shah Rashdi himself is contesting this seat against former minister and MNA Shazia Atta Mari.

This constituency has in the past voted the PML-F to power because of large concentration of Hur Jamaat followers in Khipro taluka and its adjoining areas.

A total of 782 polling stations have been set up across the district out of which 136 have been declared as the most sensitive and 335 sensitive.