Lacking enthusiasm: Too hot to vote

By-elections on two provincial assembly seats draw very few voters

SUKKUR/ KARACHI: Low turnout, the heat, and the Rangers were the only major highlights of the by-elections taking place on Thursday on two provincial assembly seats in Karachi.

The seats were left empty when the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders - Iftikhar Alam (PS-106) and Dr Sagheer Ahmed (PS-117) - who won the seats in the 2013 general elections, resigned from the party and switched allegiance to Mustafa Kamal’s Pak Sarzameen Party.

Low turnout was, however, a major concern in both the constituencies on Thursday. In PS-106, which includes Liaquatabad, Azizabad and Sharifabad, very few people stepped out in the morning. Polling officer Irfana blamed the hot weather. Sitting alongside a Rangers officer on security duty, she complained how the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not bother to send in a polling agent. Despite the heat, more women made their way to the polling stations after 2pm than men.

An elderly woman, Shamim Akhtar, said she was glad the elections were peaceful. “I have seen times when men used to fight with sticks and some would lose consciousness,” she said. “Because of the Rangers and police, such things don’t happen now.”

Akhtar, who came with her daughter-in-law, felt that arrangements for water should have been made at the polling station. Another voter, Shazia, agreed. There was no difficulty in casting the vote but there was no provision for drinking water, she said.

At another school in Sharifabad, the police and Rangers stood guard, strictly checking each and every person who walked in with the slip and their identity cards. Voter Azeem Hussain, who works at a private company, used his lunch break to cast his vote. “Elections should be held on a public holiday so that all the voters are able to come,” he said.

MQM candidate for PS-106, Mahfooz Yar Khan, told the media that the party tried its best to create the election fervour - something, according to him, other parties failed to do. “Only the MQM voters are coming out, while the polling agents of other parties are absent,” he claimed.



Abdul Kareem, a presiding officer at Shaheed-e-Millat College polling station, said they are passing time by engaging the Rangers personnel in conversation. Very few people showed up before noon, he said, adding that the turnout improved slightly in late afternoon. Out of 1,781 votes, only 227 votes were cast nearly an hour before polling was scheduled to end.

The turnout was visibly better at Government Comprehensive Boys Higher Secondary School in Azizabad where presiding officer Iftikhar Ahmed claimed he witnessed 25% turnout and most of the voters were women.

Voter Suraiya Baig explained she left the house late as the weather was too hot. Most of the men are at work, she added.

The constituency, which houses MQM headquarters Nine Zero, was mostly dotted with the party’s election camps. PTI had one camp in Liaquatabad while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had one in Bhangoria Goth. In this area, PPP supporter Abdul Haq Samejo had managed to gather a small crowd of supporters. “Though we [know we] cannot secure this seat but at least we are here to show our strength,” he said.

PTI candidate Nusrat Anwaar admitted that the low turnout was worrying. She was satisfied with the arrangements made by the election commission and the law enforcers.

Better turnout in PS-117

Turnout for the by polls in PS-117 constituency, which included Martin Quarters, was considerably better. According to a presiding officer of polling station number 48, Muhammad Imran Khan, more than 200 votes were cast until 2pm. The total number of registered voters was 1,400. This is the only area of the constituency where a proper election campaign was held, he explained, adding that parts of Garden and Patel Para reported very low turnout.

Why would anyone be interested in voting if by-elections are held every six months, said a young voter, Muhammad Yousuf.

Naushero Feroz votes

Meanwhile, by-elections on PS-22 Naushero Feroze seat were also held peacefully aside for a few minor scuffles among the supporters of the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The voter turnout was estimated at around 25% mainly due to the hot weather.

The seat was vacated by PPP’s Abdul Sattar Rajpar, who won the 2013 general elections after defeating PML-N’s Arif Mustafa Jatoi, who challenged Rajpar’s victory in court. Rajpar was once again declared the winner but Jatoi appealed in the Supreme Court, which ordered the re-poll.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2016.