LAHORE: There was a scent of change in the air especially as the voter turnout picked up on a pleasant evening in the city on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, a good number of people exercised their right to franchise despite harsh weather conditions. Most people came to the army managed polling stations on their own as the candidates had been barred from arranging transport for their voters.

The voter turnout varied at different places though. It was low in the city’s posh areas like DHA, Model Town, Cantonment and Gulberg but heartening in the downtown localities such as Gowalmandi and Bhati Gate which are considered the PML-N bastions.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) turned down the request of the PML-N and the PPP to extend the polling time for one hour. The ECP later allowed all those within the polling stations at the closing hour to cast their votes.

This was exactly said by the army personnel and polling staff at many polling stations earlier. “Those within the polling stations would be allowed to cast their votes even if it takes many hours. We will allow counting only after everyone within the polling station casts vote,” said army personnel at the Government Boys High School, Amar Sidhu.

More than 600 voters cast their votes at the polling station for women as against their total number of 1,192 at 6pm.

A majority of people either cast their votes in the morning hours or in the late afternoon when weather turned pleasant due to rain. In between, the turnout was overall low amidst complaints of energy-sapping mugginess and power breakdowns by the polling staff.

Dyal Singh College polling station was perhaps the only place in the main city where rush of male voters never reduced. A long queue of voters was waiting outside the college around 2pm as the army personnel at the entrance were allowing entry to a few number of them to maintain discipline inside.

This polling station is known for the dominance of the PML-N supporters ever since Mian Nawaz Sharif started his electoral politics in 1985. There was no indication of any candidate or his or her supporters creating any scene or influencing voters.

A Dawn reporter who visited several polling stations in Model Town, Johar Town and Wafaqi Colony in the late afternoon reported low turnout. Just 331 of the total 1,200 voters had cast their votes at the women polling station in Gulberg’s Home Economics College at 4.30pm.

At Government College, Kahna Nau, 400 of the 1,304 women voters had cast their votes by 3pm. Out of the total 1,001 voters, just 200 had cast their votes by 4pm at the polling station in FG High School, Lahore Cantt. The number of cast votes at the Defence Degree College polling station was 73 by 12 noon. The total voters were 1,814 and the number was expected to pick up in the late afternoon.

The situation was not so at the polling station for men in Lower Mall’s Central Model School. By 3pm, 800 people had cast their votes as against their total number of 1,526.

Around 779 male voters cast their votes at the Abulkhair Middle School, Garhi Shahu, by 5pm. The total voters here were 1,466. Out of the total 1,311 women voters, 814 had also cast their votes here by this time.

Of the total 1,683 male voters, 424 had cast their votes by 3.50pm at Government Mussarat Girls High School, Bund Road. Of the total 1,127 women voters, just 300 had used their right to franchise.

By 3.30pm, 600 male voters had cast their votes at the Government Degree College for Women, Gulshan-i-Ravi, as against their total number of 1,400. Out of the total 1,675 women voters, 400 had cast their votes. The overall law and order was good. Roads wore a deserted look because of public holiday and there was no hurdle anywhere. But army and police had placed barricades and barbed wires away from the polling stations to guard against gathering of people near them. Frisking was mandatory and mobile telephones or cameras were disallowed.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2018