PS-21 by-poll a test case: Baloch

Sindh election commissioner rules out option of deploying army to polls, but he says Rangers will be deputed.


Zahid Rajpar November 09, 2012

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE:


The provincial election commissioner has termed the by-poll on Sindh Assembly’s PS-21 seat in Naushahro Feroze a test case for the election commission.


In a meeting at the Naushahro Feroze deputy commissioner office on Thursday, provincial election commissioner Sono Khan Baloch said that entry of bureaucrats and ministers in the constituency has been banned but there won’t be restrictions on members of national or provincial assemblies.

Separate polling booths will be set up for women wherever they are in majority. Three tent polling booths will also be set up in remote areas due to lack of public buildings. The PS-21 constituency has 129 polling stations and 325 polling booths.

Baloch also made it clear that workers affiliated with political parties will not be allowed to work at the polling stations. The duty of any polling officer found helping any candidate will be cancelled.

The provincial election commissioner directed the candidates to remove posters and banners exceeding the size mentioned by the election commission. “Legal action will be taken against candidates violating the rules,” Baloch warned.

Army deployment

While all three rivals of the ruling party’s candidate demanded that the election commission deploy army during the by-polls, the Sindh election commissioner ruled out the option but said that Rangers will be deputed at the polling stations. No candidate is allowed to hold a public gathering at any public ground or building, he added.

National Peoples Party’s Syed Abrar Hussain, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Syed Sarfaraz Hussain, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam’s Abdul Aleem Ghanghro and an independent candidate, Syed Zohaib Shah, have submitted their nomination papers for the by-election scheduled for November 17.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2012.

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