HYDERABAD, Feb 18: Early results from Sindh late on Monday night indicated that the People’s Party was poised for a landslide in elections for the National and Sindh assemblies.
The only exception, in all likelihood, is going to be Hyderabad district, where the Muttahida Qaumi Movement is expected to bag two seats of the National Assembly, out of three, and four provincial assembly seats, out of six. The party has won all the six seats in all elections but two.
On NA-220, results from 165 polling stations gave the lead to the MQM’s Salahuddin.
The situation in the interior of Sindh changed radically following the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto and the voters have come out with an open support for PPP, braving the wrath of feudal lords.
In Dadu, PPP’s Talat Mahessar was leading his rival in NA-233 by 20,000 votes after counting in 91 polling stations, out of 289, had been completed.
In NA-232, Dadu-II, PPP’s Rafique Ahmed Jamali was leading his rival, former federal minister Liaquat Jatoi of PML-Q, by 30,000 votes after returns from 111 polling stations out of a total of 256.
In Jamshoro district, the results of 70 polling stations, out of 305, in NA-231 gave a comfortable lead of 45,000 votes to PPP’s Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur.
Candidates of the People’s Party were in sight of victory in five provincial assembly constituencies in the Jamshoro-Old Dadu district.
In NA-212, Naushahro Feroze district, results from 111 polling stations, out of 311, showed that PPP’s Zafar Ali Shah led his nearest rival by over 30,000 votes.
However, in constituency NA-211 of the same district, the PPP’s candidate was trailing Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi of NPP when last reports came in.
But on PS-21, a provincial assembly seat in Naushahro Feroze, the PPP candidate, Syed Ahmed Ali Shah, was poised for a thumping win.
In Tando Allahyar, former PPP MPA Syed Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi, who contested elections on PS-51 was again in the lead.
In Tando Muhammad Khan district, Naveed Qamaruzzaman Shah (NA-222), Mohsin Shah Bukhari (PS-53) and Abdul Karim Soomro (PS-54), all belonging to the PPP, enjoyed a clear lead over their closest rivals.
Voting trends from Badin district indicated that the People’s Party would grab almost all seats.
Initial results from Thatta district (two National Assembly seats and five in the Sindh Assembly), showed the Shirazi group was having a tough time in its stronghold.
The trend in Mirpurkhas was no different. The PPP’s Pir Aftab Shah Jilani (NA-226) and Mir Haji Hayat Talpur (PS-66) were clear beneficiaries of the sympathy vote.
However, MQM’s Fahim Altafi was leading PPP’s Naveed Buland in PS-64.
