HYDERABAD: The Makhdooms have eventually emerged victorious in the May 11 polls, bagging all the three seats of Matiari district.

They were facing their own trusted friends in the elections, which was an embarrassing sign for them given the fact that they used to have unassailable victories on their home turf. This was true whether it was general elections or party-less local bodies polls.

According to Election Commission of Pakistan’s website, Makhdoom Amin Fahim recieved 95843 votes on NA-218 which is the only National Assembly seat of the district.

His son Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman got 46,306 votes and Fahim’s younger brother Dr Makhdoom Rafik Zaman secured 42,492 votes.

Once trusted allies of Makhdooms like Abdul Razaq Memon, who is commonly known as Ghafoor Memon, had contested against Makhdoom Amin Fahim while Raees Nazir Rahu fought against Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman on PS-43 (Hala) and Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote against Dr Makhdoom Rafik Zaman on PS-44 (Matari).

They were candidates of Pir Sibghatullah Shah led PML-F, which they had joined just before the elections.

But PML-F backed candidates have refused to give-in either. They refuse to accept defeat and attribute it to massive elections rigging in  in the district. Memon, Rahu and Jamote have secured a large number of votes against the powerful Makhdooms of Hala.

They have collected evidence of alleged rigging so that it could be agitated before relevant forums like the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Election Tribunal, Sindh High Court and then the apex court.

“We will first be moving the ECP soon,” says Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote, former district nazim Matiari. According to him, he has secured 40800 votes against his rival’s 42,492. “So the difference is 1692 votes,” he said.

He adds that he has evidence of stamping and stuffing of ballots. “The evidence is backed by photographs and videos,” he claims.

Elections in Matiari were hotly contested on May 11 and the situation forced the Makhdooms to work door to door to get votes. The elder Makhdoom, who is also president PPP-Parliamentarians, was at the centre of the election campaign on his family’s part.

Makhdooms are based in Hala – the city where PPP held its first convention after being formed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto back in the late 1960s. Makhdoom Amin Fahim has been with PPP since then.

He had aspired for prime ministerial slot in the wake of 2008 general elections because Benazir Bhutto wanted him to be the PM as a result of the 2002 polls when she was abroad.

But party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who subsequently became President, didn’t consider him for the post although an announcement was made soon after a marathon session of PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) in Naudero on Dec 30,2007 after assassination of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27.

Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was named as PM. Then Makhdoom started maintaining a low profile.

But he didn’t leave PPP and was finally made a federal commerce minister.

“PPP is in my blood as it was founded in my home [Hala]. I remember how late Bhutto had requested me to persuade his father [late Makhdoom Mohammad Zaman Talibul Maula] to join PPP,” Fahim often recalls nostalgically in private conversation.

Now reports are in circulation that the elder Makhdoom is lobbying for his brother Makhdoom Rafik Zaman to win Chief Minister Sindh’s slot for him probably in lieu of his long unblemished association with PPP.

Rafik Zaman remained Sindh home minister in 1988, chairman district council of undivided Hyderabad then district nazim Hyderabad as a result of 2001 local bodies party-less elections.

General elections, this time round, had become a serious affair for Makhdooms. Razaq Memon is said to have bagged some 70,000 votes, indicating presence of sizeable anti-Makhdoom votes in Matiari.

The Memons live in large numbers in the district besides other communities.

Their rivals initially formed a local alliance before they merged it into PML-F, anticipating that the party would emerge as a major power broker in Sindh’s politics.

But its performance remained below par in the elections, as it is still confined to its traditional seats of Khairpur and Sanghar though Shikarpur is a new addition where Mahars – Ghaus Bux Mahar and his son Shaharyar Mahar - won their seats.

Matiari became a separate district in April 2005 during the Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim led Sindh government which created new districts like Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Jamshoro, Kashmore and Qambar Shahdadkot.