Let the games begin: Parties gear up to compete for the NA-246 hot seat

PPP, PML-N, ANP withdraw candidates leaving the seat open for PTI, MQM, JI and Pasban

KARACHI: The battle is on as political parties and independent candidates are all set to woo voters in their corner. As the election day for NA-246 inches closer, candidates have started frequenting the area to familiarise themselves with families and their potential voters.

A total of 15 candidates will be contesting for the by-polls scheduled for April 23. The seat fell vacant after Nabil Gabol resigned. Gabol had won in Azizabad, the stronghold of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), after he resigned from the seat and the party earlier this year.

As a part of their election campaign, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) inaugurated their election office near Karimabad on Wednesday. According to the party's general secretary for Karachi, Aziz Afridi, they had started their election campaign and party leaders, including Imran Ismail and Arif Alvi, were scheduled to make door-to-door visits to families residing in the area.

He said that the constituency was an important one and the PTI planned to run a big election campaign. "We will have rallies and we will invite people to vote for us via phone calls and text messages," he said. "We will use social media as it has always helped gather support for our party."

The MQM has also started campaigning for the by-polls. They set up an election camp in Jinnah Ground on Monday. While talking to The Express Tribune, MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that party activists and candidates will be visiting all the families of the constituency. He added that not only did they plan on distributing pamphlets in the area but will also hold rallies.

Not to be left behind, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq will visit Karachi on April 12 as a part of their election campaign. The party's spokesperson confirmed that they will hold a rally the day Haq is in town but did not confirm the location. He said that as part of their election campaign, the party will inaugurate its election office in Gulberg on Friday (today). He added that they will hold corner meetings while activists will also visit the area regularly.

Opting out

While three of the country's main political parties are going head to head with each other, three of them ­— Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) and Awami National Party, have decided not to take part in the by-polls.

The PPP and PML-N candidates withdrew their nomination papers and decided not to contest. While talking to The Express Tribune, ANP's Shahi Syed said that the party had no support in the area so there was no point in participating.

Pasban Pakistan's candidate, Usman Moazzam Siddiqui, is also busy preparing for the election campaign. He said that party activists were already working on the ground. "We have been highlighting public issues since March," he said, adding that they also went to the Sindh High Court against the rescheduling of exam dates.

An independent candidate, Mehfooz Yar Khan, said that he will have a public gathering to gain support.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2015.