PPP pacifies disgruntled leaders of Badin and Thatta

Former MNAs Kamal Chang and Abdul Wahid Soomro had earlier decided to contest polls independently

HYDERABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has won over some of its disgruntled leaders who rebelled against the party in Thatta and Badin districts after the announcement of election candidates. After negotiations with PPP leader Faryal Talpur, the dismayed leaders of the two districts have given up opposition to the party's nominated candidates for the elections.



Former MNA from Badin, Kamal Khan Chang, applied for the party tickets to contest from NA-229 and PS-73 constituencies of the district. However, the PPP denied his application and gave the tickets to Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur and Taj Muhammad Mallah respectively, after which Chang filed nomination papers as an independent candidate for both the seats.

Meanwhile, the Grand Democratic Alliance fielded Zufiqar Mirza's family in the district. The PPP feared its vote bank would divide if Chang contested the polls in an independent capacity. Efforts were made to pacify the estranged leader, which bore fruit. The district will now witness one-on-one contest between the PPP candidates and the politically influential Mirza family.

Similarly, PPP's former MNA from Thatta, Abdul Wahid Soomro, who had earlier filed his nomination papers to contest as an independent candidate, has announced to withdraw his candidature in favour of the party's candidates. He will now support Shumsunissa Memon in NA-232 and Syed Riaz Shah Sheerazi in PS-77.



Soomro and local leaders among the old guard of the PPP Thatta chapter had rejected the party's nominated candidates for the two National Assembly and five Sindh Assembly seats in the districts. They particularly objected to giving tickets for one NA and two PS seats to the influential Sheerazi family, which contested the last elections on the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz ticket. The candidacies of Ali Hassan Zardari, who belongs to Nawabshah and is known to be a close associate of PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, and Jam Awais Bijar Khan Jokhio for PS-78 and PS-79 also drew their ire.