SANGHAR: Polling for two union councils, Ghujhrero and Harbyari, of Tando Adam municipality in Sanghar district is to be held on Thursday.

The election in the two areas was not held along with most other UCs in the first and second phases owing to the unfinished delimitation process in accordance with a Sindh High Court order. The delimitation previously done by the provincial government was challenged in the court by the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and some other opposition parties.

A tough contest is expected between candidates of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the local Shehri Ittehad, which is backed by the PML-F, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Jamaat-i-Islami.

The MQM and JI have their sizeable vote banks but none of them is in a position to win a majority. However, their combined strength attached to the PML-F may prove decisive while other smaller groups also support the electoral alliance. The contest has turned interesting since the alliance came into being as one force against the lone PPP. The PPP still takes the alliance as no threat to its win after it recently managed to end a rift within its Sanghar chapter that had divided it into two groups — one headed by former MPA Fida Dero and the other by MNA Roshan Junejo.

The rift ended when the provincial leadership of the PPP succeeded in accommodating candidates from both groups.

All arrangements for a peaceful polling have been made by the provincial election commission, which has set up 72 polling stations in the two UCs. Out of them, 32 polling stations have been declared ‘highly sensitive’ and another 30 ‘sensitive’.

Sanghar Deputy Commissioner Umar Farooq has declared a holiday across the district on Thursday to facilitate the polling.

There are 87,746 registered voters (48,279 male and 39,476 female) in the two union councils.

A police force comprising 1,000 personnel, including women, supported by 300 Rangers personnel and Elite commandos would be on duty to ensure a peaceful and transparent polling.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2016