LARKANA, Oct 10: Amidst tight security arrangements the polling for the general election in Larkana for four National Assembly and eight provincial assembly seats remained peaceful except a few incidents of aerial firing in the district on Thursday.
The police said that the workers of the PPP-SB resorted to aerial firing in the Kothi Kalhoro village and its polling agents boycotted the process.
Firing was also reported from the Karira village near Garilo town.
Two persons were injured in the Wadho Lashari village after supporters of rival candidates clashed.
Two persons were injured in a clash between two rival groups in Jan Mohammed Leghari polling station in PS-39 (Larkana-V).
Disturbances were reported from the Ghulam Bhutto village (Larkana city) and Tatri (Dokri).
Haji Munawwar Ali Abbasi, a PPP candidate contesting for PS-39 (Larkana-V), alleged that his opponents had deliberately applied tactics to keep the polling slow at the Ali Sher Gopang polling station in his constituency. Here, due to tension, the polling was stopped for some time. However, when the police intervened it was resumed.
Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, contesting for NA-207 (Larkana-IV) from the platform of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, accused the PPP of using unfair means at the Ali Sher Gopang polling station.
The matter has been reported to the district returning officer, he said.
The tempo of votes being cast was slow, especially between 1pm and 2pm.
The voter turnout was around 25 per cent in Larkana District. During a visit it was witnessed that the people were working in the fields and busy with other work.
A two-member team of the European Union hailing from Belgium and Netherlands and a foreign observer, Padma Lal, from Nepal arrived at Larkana on polling day. They visited the polling stations in Kambar, Ratodero, and Larkana City. After meeting the district police officer, they left for Sukkur.
When this correspondent visited polling stations in Mahota town around 10.25am, out of a total of 234 registered voters 57 had used their right of franchisee.
At another polling station in the same area around 10:45am, out of a total of 388 registered voters 147 had cast their votes.
In Naudero town at 23 PWD polling station by 11.05am, out of a total of 823 registered voters 232 had cast their votes.
In Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto, the native village of Benazir Bhutto, around 11:20am, out of a total of 2,589 registered voters 577 had cast their votes.
In Mirpur Bhutto, the hometown of Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, the chief of the Sindh National Front (SNF), around 12pm out of a total of 1,252 registered voters 349 had cast their votes.
In Ratodero, the old constituency of Benazir Bhutto, at polling station No12 out of a total of 884 registered voters 60 had cast their votes by 12:20pm.
In Sujawal, out of 1,621 registered voters 289 had cast their votes by 1pm. In Mirokhan at a female polling station around 1:30pm, out of 355 registered voters 116 had cast their votes, and at a male polling station out of 394 registered voters 86 had cast their votes by 1:30pm.