DADU: Electioneering by aspirants for the PS-86 Johi seat of the Sindh Assembly has picked up momentum with rival candidates holding rallies and corner meetings in different parts of the constituency.

The seat has fallen vacant after the death of MPA Pir Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani — the Pir of Naing Sharif — and the Election Commis­sion of Pakistan has scheduled the by-election for Nov 7.

The deceased MPA belon­ged to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which has fiel­ded his son, Syed Moham­mad Sualeh Shah to retain the seat.

The PPP candidate is facing a tough contest with Pak­istan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate Sardar Imdad Ali Leghari although there are three independent contestants — Sardar Shuja Ahmed Panhwar, Syed Zaffar Ali Shah and Syed Mohammad Shah — in the fray.

Until recently PTI was believed to have been in a position to cause an upset in the by-election after PPP’s defeat in the recent by-election in Larkana, but PPP seems to have managed to stabilise its position by winning over a couple of local PTI leaders.

Sardar Bandah Ali Legh­ari, a close associate of former Sindh chief minister and federal minister Liaq­uat Ali Jatoi and two other influential political figures, Sardar Gul Moham­mad Rod­­h­nani and Abdul Fatah Dahiri, recently parted ways with PTI to join PPP.

PPP believes that these three heavyweights of the constituency will effectively undermine PTI’s

vote bank in the by-election. Still, political pundits in Dadu district see a tough contest between the two major parties in Johi considering the falling graph of PPP in this part of the province.

While Liaquat Ali Jatoi is personally attending and addressing the rallies and corner meetings of PTI candidate Sardar Imdad Ali Leghari, former senator Sadaqat Ali Jatoi and former district nazim Karim Ali Jatoi are supplementing the campaign with their appearances at such gatherings.

In his speech, Sardar Imdad called for a ‘change’ in Johi pointing out that PPP did not bring about any improvement in the infrastructure and basic facilities during 12 years of its rule over the province.

He pledged to work for provision of all basic amenities and ensure all required development works in the constituency if elected.

On the other side, PPP MNA Sardar Rafiq Ahmed Leghari, MPA Dr Sajeela Leghari and Sardar Bandah Ali Leghari are actively supporting Syed Sualeh Shah by joining his election campaign.

On Tuesday, Liaquat Jatoi led a big rally from Dadu to Johi up to Wahi Pandhi to accelerate Sardar Imdad’s election drive and mobilise PTI voters.

The candidate himself led a rally of his supporters which emerged from Municipal Park and ended at Johi town’s main square, where he addressed the participants.

He also complained that the Sindh government was using public funds and state machinery in PPP candidate’s election campaign, which was being “unlawfully” run by sitting lawmakers and bureaucrats.

PPP candidate Syed Mohammad Sualeh Shah also addressed a big rally in Tando Rahim.

He told the participants that the people of Johi had always voted for PPP and his father, Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani.

He pointed out that his father had been elected MPA from this constituency for five consecutive terms which reflected people’s unwavering support for him.

He pledged to continue to serve people of this constituency with the same spirit and zeal.

Independent candidate Sardar Shuja Ahmed Panhwar started his election drive on Tuesday by addressing corner meetings in Drigh Bala and Chhandan villages.

He told his supporters that both PPP and PTI had disappointed their electorates by failing to deliver.

He pointed out that the masses were still without even basic facilities like safe drinking water, proper healthcare and education as public funds were not being spent on addressing real issues.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2019