By-election being held on seat that fell vacant after death of PPP MPA.
PHOTO: FILE
Sources said a heavy contingent of police and Rangers will be deployed inside and outside the polling stations while the army will be on standby to deal with any untoward incident.
The seat fell vacant after the death of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Sardar Mohammad Muqeem Khoso. It is said to be a tough contest between the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The ruling PPP has nominated Orangzaib Khan Panhwar, son of politician Sardar Manzoor Panhwar, to contest the polls. Meanwhile, Alam Abro, who was the runner-up to the PPP candidate in the 2013 general election and had lost the seat by a margin of just 62 votes, is again contesting on the ticket of PML-N.
In the last general election, the late PPP candidate had secured 15,838 votes while Abro had bagged 15,776 votes.
The PTI has fielded Raja Khan Jakhrani, whose family recently parted ways with the PPP. Jakhrani had also independently contested the last general election and secured around 9,990 votes.
According to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), there are 145,957 votes registered in this constituency, where 163 polling stations have been set up. "Not a single polling station is normal," said an ECP official. "Out of the total polling stations, 100 are sensitive and 63 are most sensitive polling stations."
Jacobabad deputy commissioner Agha Shah Nawaz Babar said they have taken extraordinary measures to hold the election peacefully. "Around 5,000 policemen and 664 Rangers personnel will be deployed for security purpose," he said.
Internal differences
"It will be a neck and neck competition among those contesting the by-election," commented Aftab Ahmed, a local journalist.
A rift among the PPP ranks in Jacobabad has been reported following the death of as family members of the deceased leader demanded of the PPP to allot the ticket to Khoso's son but the party leadership refused. "There are a large number of votes of the Khoso tribe in this constituency and a majority of these people have turned against the PPP, which has weakened the position of the PPP candidate," said Ahmed, who has been covering elections in the constituency for 25 years.
On the other hand, different parties have set up camps in Jacobabad and everyone claims they will sweep the polls.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2016.
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