SHIKARPUR, Sept 27: The People’s Party Parlimentarians candidate from NA-202 (Shikarpur-I), Aftab Shahban Mirani, has alleged that the government’s favourite candidates from Shikarpur district were involved in pre-poll rigging.
Speaking at an election meeting here on Thursday, he said that 13 many polling stations were relocated on the behest of the candidates of the Sindh Democratic Alliance and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.
Mirani said that some 9,000 bogus votes were enrolled in electoral rolls of Shikarpur and Khanpur talukas and more than 13 polling stations were relocated from suitable places to the desolate areas, where only two to three kutcha houses were situated, to favour the the SDA and PML-Q candidates.
Speaking on the occasion, the PPP candidate from PS-12 (Shikarpur-II), Junaid Ahmed Soomro, expressed his surprise over the delaying tactics in rectifying the irregularities, committed by the local administration in relocating the polling stations and appealed to the federal election authorities to take proper and immediate action.
He complained that in order to favour his rival candidate, about 12 presiding and polling officers of the latter’s choice were appointed.
He added that the SHOs of four police stations — Humayoon, Khanpur, Kot Shahoo and Naparkot — were posted to favour his rival candidate on the polling day.
He appealed to the election authorities and the governor of Sindh to stop the disbursement of Rs20 million released from Zakat funds, in the interest of the deserving persons.
Otherwise, he said, the Zakat funds would be used as political bribe and the funds would go to the supporters of the anti-PPP candidates because the lists of the so-called deserving persons were prepared on the recommendation of the anti-PPP candidates.
The PPP candidate from NA-203 (Shikarpur-II), Agha Arsalan Khan, also complained of enrolment of enrolment of bogus votes and establishment of polling stations at inconvenient places in his constituency.
Speaking at an election meeting in Garhi Yasin on Thursday, he, however, hoped that the PPP would sweep elections on all the seats in the district.