Agents of polls: From foes to friends for voters’ sake

Beyond the political banter, polling agents share gossip, tips and ties.

KARACHI:

As allegations and counter-allegations between the representatives of various political parties kept the television screens alive, the voters and election staff at most of the polling stations in the NA-246 constituency offered a completely different outlook.

The atmosphere inside the polling booths was almost friendly, as polling agents of rival political parties shared tips and gossip and at times, even drinking water to cool off on the hot day.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) polling agents stood out from their counterparts of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for two basic reasons: they were young and inexperienced. The former were helped along and guided by the MQM agents, who seemed to be far more experienced in these kinds of activities.

Wearing blue jeans and a grey shirt with a red and green muffler draped around his neck, PTI’s polling agent, 21-year-old Muhammad Zubair, arrived at the Government Girls Bright Career School, an hour after the scheduled time. He seemed lost as he entered the school premises.

After showing his documents to the Rangers personnel deployed at the entrance, he entered the classroom where the polling booth had been set and sat on the floor. The only two seats for polling agents were already occupied by the MQM and JI poling agents. The latter exchanged sarcastic looks before bursting into laughter. Trying his best to ignore the rivals’ sarcasm, Zubair pretended to be unperturbed. “I am only afraid of Allah,” he said confidently.

With the voting in progress, Zubair suddenly rose from the ground and said: “I object! This serial number is not there in the list I have.” The MQM polling agent smiled and told him to refer to the other polling lists he had in his hand. He then explained the process to Zubair, who realised his mistake and sat down again.

Such unlikely scenes of political harmony were witnessed almost every polling station in the constituency on Thursday. At the Sirajuddaulah Government College, PTI’s Rushna Shah, JI’s Khalda and MQM’s Salma sat on the same bench. “At the end of the day, we all are Pakistani,” said Rushna. Her rivals nodded in agreement, adding that whatever the results may be, at the moment they were simply doing their jobs.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2015.