KARACHI, Oct. 10: A good number of voters in NA-257 appeared to be enthusiastic about exercising their right to franchise, though the turnout was not so high as was being expected with the participation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the country’s fifth general elections in the past 14 years.
Out of the 14 candidates, the major ones were Muhammed Shamim Siddiqui of the Muttahida, Qamar Niaz of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, Sardar Akhtar Hussain of the Pakistan Peoples Party and Osama Razi of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, in the constituency stretching over Malir Cantonment in Malir Town and Muslimabad in Landhi Town with 256,535 registered voters.
The vote casting pattern remained miserably low in the early four hours, but it turned out to be well over 30 per cent at several polling stations in the vicinities like Khokrapar, Saudabad, Malir City, Quaidabad and in some villages on the outskirts of the Malir Town.
The turnout at the polling stations set up in the Radio Pakistan Colony, Quaidabad, and the Swedish Poly-Technical Institute on the National Highway remained very low even after noon. Only 87 out of the total 642 votes were cast till 12:45pm at one of the booths at the institute.
The low turnout in the early hours was attributed to the hot weather and the failure of the candidates to mobilise the electorates, as many of them were skeptical about the holding of the elections, particularly because of the absence from the scene of some major politicians.
Majority of the voters, however, turned up in the last four hours, gearing up the pace of voting only after the intensity of the hostile weather subsidised.
The turnout at some of the polling stations at Khokrapar, Saudabad, Model Colony and Malir Cantonment Bazaar swelled up to 30 per cent with many voters standing in the queues for their turns.
NA-257 comprises Saadi Town, Malir Cantonment, Khokrapar, Saudabad, Jinnah Colony, Liaquat Colony, Malir Colony, Goth Wali Dad, Quaidabad, Hussainabad (Landhi) Zafar Town, Goth Haji Sukho, Goth Haji Dilbar, Haji Noodo Khan Goth, Abdur Rahu Goth and Haji Sammo Yar Mohammed Goth.
The candidates in this constituency included Qamar Niaz (Candle), Dr Muhammed Hashim Ali (Telephone), Osama Razi (Book), Naseem Naz (Crescent), Barkat Ali Khan (Lock), Mirza Yousuf Hussain Truck), Akhtar Rohila (Fist), Abdul Khaliq Khan (Comb), Fahim Ahmed Siddiqui (Tiger), Salahuddin (Pen), Rahim Adil Shaikh (Bicycle), Shazia Batool (Lantern), Sardar Akhtar Hussain (Arrow) and Muhammed Shamim Siddiqui (Kite).
NA-258: Lath Basti, over a century-old village of fishermen belonging to the Sindhi-speaking Jatt clan, presented a festive look with PPP supporters in and around the polling stations, though there were very few voters in the early hours.
The assistant presiding officer at a female booth told Dawn that only seven out of the 263 registered voters turned up till noon at one of the two polling stations. The first voter turned up around 8:45am, she said.
People of the coastal areas in the city showed great interest in the election process, adds APP.
