SANGHAR: Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Jam Madad Ali was leading in the count according to unofficial results, in the by-election for PS-81 (Sanghar-Mirpurkhas), which remained mostly peaceful apart from the killing of two PPP workers in a violent brawl at a polling station here on Thursday.

The provincial assembly seat had fallen vacant after the former PML-F stalwart Jam Madad Ali resigned recently from his seat in order to join the ruling PPP. There were 13 candidates in the fray but the real contest was between Jam Madad and his close relative, Jam Nafees Ali, of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.

According to unofficial results, PPP’s Jam Madad Ali obtained 35,904 votes to win the by-poll while his rival Jam Nafees secured 26,428 votes.

At many polling stations, the two parties’ workers outnumbered voters whose turnout remained dismally low.

The charged workers entered into a heated argument at Tilla Shah polling station which soon spiralled into a violent brawl and led to exchange of fire in which PPP workers Mohammad Salah Khaskheli and Ali Hassan Khaskheli were killed and four voters were wounded, according to Sanghar SSP Dr Farrukh.

The police official said that police arrested 20 PML-F workers including Ali Ahmad Chang, a leader of Hur Jamaat, after the violent incident.

Rangers’ officials were deployed at most of the polling stations and they were seen noting down in a personal register details of every voter.

Many people other than the party workers or the polling staff were seen moving in and out of polling stations while some voters complained that when they arrived at the polling station to cast votes they were shocked to learn that it had already been cast.

At Berani polling station, Jam Nafees raised objection to the prolonged presence of PPP MNA Shazia Marri and in a tit-for-tat move Jam Madad objected to PML-F MPA Nusrat Sehar Abbasi’s visit of the polling station.

Ms Marri told journalists that polling staff appeared to have no training at all of election process and criticised Rangers’ officials for overstepping their authority by asking some voters to reveal their political affiliation.

Meanwhile, Rangers’ DG Saeed Ahmad and deputy commissioner Umar Farooq visited polling stations. Media persons were barred from entering a number of polling stations though they had valid accreditation cards issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2017