HYDERABAD, Oct 20: The by-elections for nine seats — three of district Naib Nazims, five of taluka Nazims and one of taluka Naib Nazim — were held in seven districts of Sindh on Monday in a peaceful manner.
According to unofficial result, People’s Party Parliamentarians-backed Awam Dost Panel candidate Ghulam Ali Gopang obtained 114 votes and won the Hyderabad taluka (rural) Nazim seat while his rival candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-F, Iqbal Pahore, got 105 votes.
Of the polled 222 votes, three were rejected. The polling remained peaceful. This seat had fallen vacant after Nazim Pir Amjad Shah Jillani was elected a member of the Sindh Assembly.
THATTA: Shaukat Malkani of the Shirazi-Malkani group won the seat of district Naib Nazim with 849 votes. He defeated ADP-backed candidate Syed Masood Mustafa Shah who secured 169 votes.
Out of 1,103 votes, 85 were either rejected or not cast.
Speaking at a press conference after the announcement of the result, the loosing candidate, his polling agent MPA Sassui Palijo, Thatta PPP president Dr Wahid Soomro and other party leaders said the election was rigged and announced that they would challenge the result.
They accused the Shirazi-Malkani group of harassing ADP councillors through the local administration and forcing them to vote for its candidate.
DADU: ADP candidate Dost Ali Jessar won the seat of district Naib Nazim.
He secured 758 votes out of 1,571 while his opponent, Dr Zahid Jatoi, got 736 votes.
However, no candidate secured the required 51 per cent votes and according to law, the election for the seat would again be held.
Meanwhile, Dadu Ittehad candidate Unaid Ali Jatoi won the seat of Mehar taluka Nazim by securing 218 votes out of 292 against 17 votes obtained by ADP candidate Hakim Chandio.
NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: Khalifo Shakeel Ahmad of the Jatoi group won the seat of Naushahro Feroze taluka Naib Nazim. He secured 170 votes and his opponent, PPP candidate Qurban Ali Moro, got 31 votes.
Out of 208 votes, 203 were cast and two were rejected. No candidate could get the required 51 per cent votes.
For the seat of Kandiro taluka Nazim, a tough contest between PPP candidate Syed Abrar Ali Shah and Jatoi-Syed Ittehad candidate Syed Sarfaraz Ali Shah was held.
Out of 305, 298 votes were cast. The PPP candidate secured 150 and his rival got 147 votes.
The election for the seat would again be held as no candidate could secure the required 51 per cent votes.
SHIKARPUR: The election for the seat of Lakhi Ghulam Shah taluka Nazim was held on Monday.
Mohammad Imran Mahar won the election with 182 votes against two votes of PPP-backed candidate Ghulam Murtaza Sethar.
A total of 185 votes out of 198 were polled. One vote was cancelled.
The PPP Sindh Council member and in charge of the election campaign of the party candidate, Agha Arsalan Khan Pathan, alleged that the opponent candidate and his supporters had rigged the election with the help of the election staff and the local administration.
He said the PPP-backed candidate, councillors and his election agents were taken away from the polling station and made hostages till the polling time ended.
KHAIRPUR: Khairpur Dost Panel candidate Abdul Rauf Chandio was elected the taluka Nazim of Kot Diji.
He defeated ADP candidate Ahmad Ali Jumani.
Out of the polled 213 votes, Mr Chandio secured 127 votes and Mr Jumani got 87. Seven votes were rejected.
JACOBABAD: PML-Q-backed candidate Asghar Khan Panhwar was elected the district Naib Nazim by obtaining 923 votes out of 1,156 votes. His opponent, Israr Khan Khoso, secured 23 votes.
NAWABSHAH: The Awami Ittehad’s Dr Bahadur Dahri was elected Taluka Nazim Daulatpur on Monday.
Supported by the PML (Q), Dr Dahri polled 139 of the 221 votes. His rival, Muzaffar Jamali of the Awam Dost Panel, backed by the Pakistan People’s Party, secured 81 votes. One vote was rejected.