KARACHI, Oct 12: Even before the un-official results of the general elections are fully made public, power brokers have started pulling strings to back up different aspirants to form government in Sindh.

Numerically, the People’s Party Parliamentarians has got an edge over other parties by securing 50 out of the 130 general seats in the house and could rightly claim the coveted post.

The house of Sindh Assembly comprises 168 members - 130 general seats for which elections were held on Thursday. The reserved seats - 29 for women and nine for non-Muslims - will be allocated on the basis of proportional representation system.

The election commission will announce the list of the winning candidates on the basis of total number of seats won by each political party in the assembly. However, a political party which failed to secure less than five per sent of the total number of seats in the house shall not be entitled for any reserved seat.

According to un-official statistics, the PPP is followed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement which has won 32 seats while the National Alliance has captured ten and the Pakistan Muslim League (F) 12, followed by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal 11 and PML (QA) with 10. The strength of those returned as independent is three while the Mohajir Qaumi Movement succeeded for the first time after its breakup by winning one seat.

PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmad Khuhro could rightly claim the top slot in the provincial government as he has not only secured his seat but also succeeded in selling his party’s programme to emerge as the single largest party. He achieved this success amid reports that the government had floated not only one but two king’s parties in the province in the form of the PML (QA) and the Sindh Democratic Alliance to ditch the PPP which was spearheading the onslaught against the government.

But, in view of a hung parliament in the centre, the two major arch rivals — the PML (QA) and the PPP — would require support of other smaller groups to prove a simple majority in the house of 342 — 272 general seats and 70 reserved including ten for the non-Muslims — who would be declared elected on the basis of the party list system.

At present, according to un-official results, the PML (QA) has emerged as the largest party in the parliament by securing 78 seats. Although the PPP has won 62 seats, Benazir Bhutto has refused to form a coalition government with the PML (QA), but reportedly she is prepared to negotiate on the formation of a coalition government with other groups, including the MMA.

The natural ally of the PPP could, in this case, only be the PML (N) and the MQM which could lay the basis for a feasible and stable coalition government in Sindh and according to unconfirmed reports initial contacts had been established with the MQM leadership in London where chief of the PPP Parliamentarians, Makhdoom Amin Faheem, had also exchanged views on the possibility with the party chairperson.

But, for this cooperation, the PPP has to strike a deal with the MQM over the office of chief minister, for not only seeking organizational support but also to have a stable set up which could come up to the expectations of the people. This is all the more necessary due to the present administrative structure in Sindh where the provincial governor and chief secretary would continue to be calling the shots, even in the emerging democratic dispensation.

The deal could be to offer either office of the governor to the MQM or that of the chief ministership in lieu of its cooperation.