Security alert at 1,746 polling stations in Sukkur

Tough competition expected in Larkana, Nawabshah divisions too

HYDERABAD:

As many as 3,040,256 voters will elect their seven MNAs and 14 MPAs in Sukkur, Khairpur and Ghotki districts. The ECP has set up 2,277 polling stations which will be provided security by 17,029 policemen and personnel of other LEAs. Some 830 polling stations have been classified as highly sensitive and 916 sensitive.

Khairpur district in Sukkur division is known as the stronghold of GDA’s leader Pir Pagara Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi. In 2018, the alliance’s Muhammad Rafiq Bhanban emerged successful from PS-29 Khairpur-IV and Syed Muhammad Rashid Shah on PS-32 Khairpur-VII. But the PPP still managed to bag five out of seven seats of the PS from that district and all the three NA seats. The candidates are likely to give a tough time to their PPP’s counterparts as they are running again from the same constituencies. Albeit, the name of PS-32 has been changed to PS-31.

The PPP had also lost one of the NA seats in Ghotki district to an independent candidate Ali Mohammad Mahar. However, the Mahars have now joined the PPP.

Larkana division

The division’s five districts have eight seats of the NA and 17 of the PS. The ECP has established 2,738 polling stations for 3,592,271 voters who will be given security by 19,544 cops in addition to the army and the rangers.

The PPP had lost two NA seats in 2018. The NA-196 from Jacobabad was won by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Sardar Riaz Mehmood Khan Mazari and NA-199 from Shikarpur by GDA’s Ghos Baksh Khan Mahar. The PTI also clinched one PS seat from Jacobabad while two PS seats from Shikarpur and Larkana went to the GDA. The PPP had emerged successful on all the remaining six NA and 14 PS seats.

With PTI out of the election fray and GDA not finding a candidate on a seat which it had secured from Shikarpur, the PPP will only have to deal with GDA’s Abbassis of Larkana. Former GDA’s MPA Moazzam Ali Khan Abbassi is contesting from PS-12 and the party’s Kazim Ali Khan from PS-11. The PPP had sailed through on both the NA seats and three of the four PS seat in 2018 and it is expected to do the same on Thursday.

Nawabshah division

For the six seats of NA and 13 of the PS 3,077,647 people are registered to vote in the division’s 2,291 polling stations which will have a deployment of 23,928 cops. The division’s Sanghar district is also one of the strongholds of GDA’s Pir Pagara. His party had bagged three out of six PS seats from Sanghar but they lost all the three seats to the PPP besides as many PS seats. The local observers say that a neck to neck fight is again expected in those constituencies. The GDA had also won one of four PS seats from Naushehro Feroze district, losing the rest to the PPP including the NA constituencies.