MULTAN: The three main candidates for NA-149 by-elections -- Javed Hashmi, Javed Siddiqui and Amir Dogar -- brought to end their electioneering late on Tuesday as polling would be held on Thursday (tomorrow).

The seat fell vacant after Mr Hashmi resigned from the seat as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) member and is trying again his luck as an independent candidate.

Know more: Footprints: A by-poll without substance

The three candidates used different ideologies and methods to attract the voters. This Dawn correspondent followed the electioneering and here is a brief overview of the candidates’ pleas to their voters.

JAVED SIDDIQUI: A PPP candidate for the seat, Mr Siddiqui enjoys the active support of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other mainstream leaders like Makhood Shahabuddin and senators Islamuddin Sheikh and Dr Qayyum Soomro. During the electioneering, Mr Gilani went door to door, saying that Mr Dogar was a turncoat and unreliable. He said during his premiership, Mr Dogar used to be regraded as deputy prime minister. Mr Gilani also reminded the people of the development work he undertook during his tenure. Senator Sheikh has a sizable Sheikh clan in the constituency and he won their support for the PPP candidate.

Political observers say Mr Gilani may fight next election from the constituency if the PPP candidate shows a good performance on Oct 16.

JAVED HASHMI: Mr Hashmi is the biggest stakeholder in the poll; the result will impact his political future.

Being elected from the constituency twice, Mr Hashmi banks on his personal contacts and PML-N vote bank. The PML-N city cadre actively worked for their former colleague.

A PML-N parliamentary board meeting that was held in Islamabad and was presided over by Hamza Shahbaz some two weeks back reportedly decided to fully support Mr Hahsmi.

The PML-N leadership has categorically conveyed a message to its local leadership to work for the victory of Mr Hashmi.

AMIR DOGAR: Mr Dogar has the active support of PTI supporters, PTI Vice-Chairman Mukhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and PTI MPAs from the area Zaheeruddin Alizai and Javed Akhtar Ansari.

Mr Dogar has close contacts with the constituents, and has obliged many during the PPP tenure when his father, Salahuddin Dogar, was a senator and a close aide of President Zardari and prime minister Gilani.

After the Oct 10 rally of the PTI at the Qasim Bagh Stadium, Mr Dogar got a boost.

Other than the three candidates, another independent candidate Sheikh Tahir Rashid also actively campaigned and pleaded PML-N activists to vote for him.

The number of registered voters in the constituency is 338,005 and polling stations 286.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2014