HYDERABAD, Sept 9: With the general elections only 30 days away, the election campaign in Hyderabad district is going slowly but steadily.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) seems to be more active in the election campaign in comparison to other parties like the Pakistan People’s Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and the Pakistan Muslim Leagur (N).

The MQM candidates have not held any public meetings so far. Probably, they are waiting for a signal from their chief in London.

On Sunday, MQM candidates from NA-220 and the deputy convener of MQM Coordination Committee, Aftab Ahmed Shaikh, inaugurated a free medical camp at Nishat Market to kick off the election campaign.

The party has decided to organize six free medical camps in the city. It is a change for the better.

The PPP is rudderless. Its various wings — cultural, women, labour, and the district chapter — are competing with one another in holding protest demonstrations against the rejection of Benazir Bhutto’s nomination papers.

The chairman of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), Makhdoom Mohammad Amin Faheem, is busy in attending ARD meetings and paying frequent visits abroad to seek instructions from the party chairperson.

There is hardly any noteworthy leader in the party who is in a position to mount a serious campaign. The party is also marred by internecine fighting as some resentment is being expressed on the awarding of the party ticket for PS-47 Qasimabad.

Some other PPP candidates have also filed their nomination papers against the ticket holders although they are expected to withdraw their candidatures at a later stage.

Notwithstanding internecine conflicts within the PPP, its position remains unassailable in interior Sindh. However, the two National Assembly and four provincial assembly seats in Hyderabad city are quite a different proposition indeed.

Its yet to be seen whether the Muttahida Quami Movement proves to be as popular in the city as it used to be in the 80s and 90s. Many people are waiting to see whether the MQM’s vote bank has eroded.

However, the erosion in the vote bank of the MQM has been neutralized with the entry of the new generation. Youth has always been a motivating factor in the MQM to “persuade” the elders to vote for the party.

The MMA is steadily making inroads in the strong pockets of the MQM. Besides, most of the religious parties — especially the JUP and the JI — hold quite a sway in certain areas.

Both the Mohajir Quami Movement and the Mohajir Ittehad Tehrik have also put up candidates. One has to wait until the elections to see how they fare.

Similarly, the PML(N) has also put up some candidates who are likely to bag a few thousands votes, although it is too early to predict what the outcome will be.

The chief of the MMA, Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, who was in Hyderabad on Sept 5, had addressed a press conference and a public meeting on the same day.

However, one thing is quite intriguing as verbal attacks are being made on the MQM by the local MMA leaders who never even dared to whisper anything against the “Muttahida”.

Too many candidates have entered the election fray. This can be gauged from the fact that for six NA seats of the district as many as 76 candidates have filed nominations, while for 12 PA seats no less than 204 candidates have filed nominations.

It will be after the withdrawal of nomination papers on Sept 14 that the actual candidates of various political parties will emerge on the scene.