Now U C it, now you don’t

KARACHI: The logic is simple. If you are a political party, you would want to have the maximum number of voters in any given constituency.

But what do you do if your voters are split across two bordering constituencies and your rival party is likely to get more votes? You do what governments have been doing for years - redraw the map so that your voters are in one constituency.

The local government elections are looming and the Sindh government is considering correcting a few past decisions. For example, former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim had altered the union councils of Larkana, considered a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stronghold. Rahim divided Larkana into two divisions to benefit the Pakistan Muslim League- Q’s Altaf Antar and Sardar Shabbir Chandio.

Incidentally, these gentlemen also decided to switch allegiances and joined the PML-Q. Rahim also changed the Taib and Lashari union councils in Ratodero. Last month, the Sindh government restored these constituencies to their former status.

Furthermore, Daily Express has learnt that Sindh fisheries minister Zahid Bhurgari has requested the government to add a fifth union council by the name of Mirzapur Shahpur to taluka Qasimabad, district Hyderabad. There is also a recommendation to include union council Gupchani of taluka Daur in Benazirabad, district Nawabshah.

This will lead to a change for eight dehs. MPA Abdul Qadir Patel has requested a change in a Keamari union council in Karachi. Others have made suggestions for changes to union councils in Tando Allahyar, Shikarpur and other districts. However, so far these recommendations have not gone forward yet as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has objected to them. The PPP and MQM core committee continues to debate the delimitation of constituencies.