Elected unopposed: MQM has head start in Hyderabad cantonment

Hyderabad Cantonment Board to have elections on only eight of its 10 wards.

HYDERABAD: In Hyderabad’s cantonment elections, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) already has a head start as its candidates have been elected unopposed in two wards. On the remaining eight wards, three political parties — MQM, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — and independent candidates are contesting against each other. A total of 32,406 voters will cast their ballots in 28 polling stations consisting 74 polling booths.

In the eight wards up for grabs, PPP has fielded candidates in each of the constituency, MQM in seven and the PTI in only two wards. Having won wards 3 and 8, MQM appears in the strongest position to clinch the vice-chairperson position, which was earlier held by PPP’s former provincial minister Zahid Bhurgari 17 years ago.



“The residents of Hyderabad will once again show that they support the MQM which has always served the city and its people,” said MQM zonal incharge Navaid Shamsi, addressing a corner meeting in Ward No. 2 on Thursday evening.

The PPP sources hope for victory in wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7. “These areas have traditionally voted for the PPP candidates in the general elections,” said Amanullah Siyal, PPP’s district vice-president.

However, the PTI candidates in wards 2 and 7 will pose a challenge as the former ward has a huge population of Pakhtuns, who are likely to vote for the PTI. The PTI bagged the highest votes in polling stations in both these wards in the 2013 general elections.

“The demolition of houses in the Peon’s Colony, which has 3,275 voters in Ward No. 7, in the recent anti-encroachment exercise antagonised the people,” pointed out Syed Ahmed Rashid, the PTI candidate, who provided a lawyer and had the demolition stopped through a Sindh High Court order.

According to him, his party is also supporting one independent and one PPP candidate in wards 6 and 9. “If the PPP and PTI together can grab six seats, they will elect their vice-chairman,” a source campaigning for both the parties told The Express Tribune. The leaders of the two parties neither denied nor confirmed the possible post-election alliance.

Security

Hyderabad SSP Irfan Baloch told The Express Tribune that 384 policemen will be deployed for the election security duty. The security has been divided in three zones and five sectors with each zone headed by a DSP and each sector by an SHO. “We have declared all the polling stations as sensitive,” he said.

The election material was transported to the polling stations amid security by the military personnel and the police on Friday afternoon.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2015.