By-elections: Politicians battle over PS-57, Mirza hopes his son won’t disappoint

So far no election schedule or nomination list have been released.

KARACHI:

The provincial election commission has ruled out the possibility of holding a by-election in the near future in PS-57 Tando Bago, Badin. The seat fell vacant after the resignation of the former Sindh home minister, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza.

While talking to The Express Tribune on Friday, the provincial election commissioner Sono Khan Baloch, said that the by-election could not be held in view of the devastation caused by recent rains and floods in the constituency. “We have not released any schedules for issuing nomination forms or a date of the election. It is not possible to hold a by-election right now,” he said while denying a news report which claimed that nomination papers could be submitted from October 26 to 27 and the final list of candidates would be released on November 18 and the polling would take place on December 11.  “How can we hold the elections in an area which is still inundated by rainwater and 90 per cent of the people are still displaced?” he said. “We can hold the elections once the rainwater recedes and the people return.”

He added that most of the schools in the constituency were under water while others were converted into relief camps. This, he pointed out would be a major problem as schools were usually the designated polling stations.

Nonetheless, candidates from different political parties have started their election campaign in the area. On one hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) has nominated former minister for population welfare Syed Ali Bux Shah alias Pappu Shah who had contested the 2008 general elections against Mirza and secured 13,853 votes. Mirza won the seat with a total of 33,111 votes.

The PML-Q likeminded group led by former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has nominated Muhammad Bux Jamali, a landlord of the area.

The party claims to have support from different independent groups as well.

However, there is confusion in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its leadership as they have not decided on a candidate. There are reports that Mirza’s son Hussnain Mirza will contest the by-elections but the PPP parliamentary party chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that he had not received an application from Hussnain Mirza yet. He added that the party could give him the ticket if he applied for it.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Functional has decided to support Mirza’s son if he stands.

Mirza, on the other hand claims that his son will not stand on the PPP ticket. “I hope my son will not disappoint me,” he said. “We will prefer to participate in the election as an independent candidate.”

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has decided that they will also fight but they have not nominated a candidate yet.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2011.