THATTA, Feb 15: Shirazis’ show of political strength on Thursday managed to shake the PPP with signs that some sympathisers may give second thoughts before exercising the right to franchise.

Shirazis held a gathering of thousands of people at the place where on February 9 Asif Zardari, Co-chairman of the PPP, initiated his election campaign with lots of pomp and show.

The rally must have come as a morale booster for their supporters, infusing them with a fresh zeal and determination to step up their electioneering.

Thatta witnessed an exceptionally big rally taken out by hundreds of auto rickshaws, donkey carts, motorbike, small vehicles and pedestrians, on Friday.

The PPP candidate Sassui Palijo of PS-85 Mirpur Sakro staged a sit-in outside Thatta Press Club to protest against the pre-poll rigging by Shirazi group.

Sassui Palijo at a press conference first time condemned the District Returning Officer Thatta and claimed that he was party to help win the Shirazi group candidates.

She said, time and again she had been apprising him of pre-poll rigging by the Shirazi group and the Election Commission of Pakistan Islamabad also referred to DRO but he never acted in response to her complaints.

Sassui said during Thursday’s rally, Shirazis availed hundreds of vehicles, police had impounded much before the election day in the name of election duty and the same vehicles were provided by police to Shirazis to transport people from within and border districts of Thatta like Tando Mohammad Khan, Malir, Badin, Jamshoro and Mithi.

Sassui said their elder caretaker provincial minister for food and agriculture, Syed Aijaz Ali Shah Shirazi in violation of rules and regulations of the Election Commission dared to address the election gathering.

She said not only this but his elder brother district Nazim Thatta, Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi received a big crowd of participants from the outskirts of Thatta who walked to the meeting chanting slogans.

Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro, Arbab Wazir Ahmed Memon and Jalil Memon of the PPP said Shirazi group was bent upon getting elected seven candidates on two national and five provincial assembly seats.

PPP candidates said rigging was tantamount to playing with fire and warned of the consequences if an attempt was made to manipulate the situation.

There were 496,201 male and 324,659 female voters in the district out of total 1.3 million against which 640 polling stations were set-up for five provincial and two National Assembly seats.