HYDERABAD: Eligible voters — mostly women — had to face serious difficulties in finding their names in electoral rolls available with polling personnel at various polling stations in Hyderabad district where Altaf Hussain’s boycott call also got somewhat mixed response in Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s strongholds in urban areas as people voted for the candidates of different political parties on Wednesday.

Polling across the city remained completely peaceful as not a single incident of violence was reported from any area till the close of the process.

Polling started on time at most polling stations. Candidates from different political parties tried to transport their voters — otherwise banned under the code of conduct issued by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — in the absence of private transport. Roads wore a deserted look as public holiday was declared.

Lacklustre polling activity outside polling stations was witnessed. Parties’ temporary camps were set up far away from polling stations in view of ECP’s directive that these are to be set up 100 metres away from polling stations in urban areas and 400 metres in case of rural areas.

The ECP had barred parties/candidates and polling agents from displaying any material that seeks support for any candidate. However, situation on the ground remained different in various areas as parties openly displayed their election symbol, flags, badges and other material.

Voters were reaching in rickshaws and pick-ups in urban and rural areas of the district. Every polling station was placed under strict security blanket. Invariably two to three soldiers were deployed inside every polling booth and polling stations in addition to police who mostly remained deployed at outer entrance of polling stations.

Voters’ problems

Voters faced problems as they didn’t get voter slip that contains particulars of a voter regarding polling station’s number, shumariyati block and household number. Such slips are usually delivered by contesting candidates and parties, and to make matters worse, they did not get details of their vote from ECP’s online system that failed to give quick replies due to heavy traffic of requests.

Women voters had to suffer badly as the slips that they had did not tally with details in lists available with polling personnel and presiding officers. “We can’t help them … we can’t do anything. These women are getting slips that have incorrect details of vote or polling stations”, was the most common answer presiding officers gave to Dawn during visits to polling stations.

Most of those women were elderly who were coming to polling stations either on foot or in rickshaws provided by candidates. “What should I do? We are provided these slips for this polling station and now they [polling personnel] tell me that my vote is not registered here”, complained a woman at female polling station-294 in Khursheed Begum High School, Tonga stand of Phulelli, in NA-227 and PS-67.

Phulelli is a densely populated area and many women carrying such ‘slips’ were returning from polling stations disappointed. Still, some were coming back with new slips with correct details. A total of 295 votes were polled out of the 1,166 registered ones at a female polling station of NA-227 and PS-67 at Khursheed Begum School, showing 25 per cent turnout there till 5.15pm. “We are returning now without casting vote as we can’t shunt between one area to another”, came a reply in anger from two women in Hyderabad railway station area near Razia Sultana School.

Residents of Pucca Qilla, which falls in NA-227 and PS-66, came to cast votes in fair number. The fort has political value for Altaf Hussain who ran a campaign for boycott of July 25 polls through WhatsApp messages and videos. At male polling station number-129 located in street number-1 of the fort, 477 votes were polled by 5.45pm out of the 1,116 registered ones. Many were still present inside polling station to cast their votes, indicating 43pc turnout till then.

At a women polling station in Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah School, 268 votes were, however, polled out of the 1,059 by the same time which indicates 25pc. The MQM, PTI, and PPP-JUP (Noorani) alliance had run an aggressive campaign in this area. A large number of voters were seen at Hasrat Mohani Library located paces away from the fort and by 4.15pm, 510 votes were polled at male polling station out of 1,314 votes, indicating 39pc turnout.

Election’s traditional colour and fair turnout was witnessed in Islamabad Mohalla and old Odeon Cinema areas, located in PS-64 and NA-226. A large number of voters, including women and men, were seen present inside and in queues outside polling stations by the close of polling.

By 5pm, 811 votes out of 1,708 were cast, indicating 47pc turnout at a men’s polling station set up in Social Security Hospital, Islamabad. Likewise, 43pc turnout was recorded by 5pm at another men’s polling station located in the same hospital as 563 votes were polled out of the 1,290 registered voters, according to presiding officer.

Similarly, 403 votes were polled out of 1,485 at the men’s polling station in Government College Kali Mori, Hyderabad, by 3.45pm and at a women’s polling station in the same college, 240 votes were polled out of 1,822.

Turnout had initially remained low in the morning which improved in the second half of the day. Out of the 1,895 votes, 164 were polled at a men’s polling station of NA-227 in Hyderabad Development Authority’s offices till 10.45am. In Hyderabad’s rural constituency of NA-225 and PS-63, 243 votes were polled by 12.20pm out of the 1,400 registered ones at a polling station located in the union council of Musa Khatiyan. At another urban polling station in Tandojam, 103 votes were cast out of 1,212 at the women’s polling station in a government primary school in Mir Mohalla Tandojam.

Soldiers and policemen were checking slips of voters, which was not in line with ECP’s code of conduct that requires law enforcers to only subject a voter to searches.

Media personnel, despite having passes issued by the ECP, faced serious difficulties. They were required to drop their mobile phones outside before visiting polling stations. Polling personnel, including presiding officers, complained about the lack of facilities such as drinking water, ink, stamp pad, dry ball-point etc.

At polling station number-52 set up in the Government Primary School Hadi Nagar Qasimabad, 200 votes were cast out of 1,893 till11.40am. The area falls in NA-225 and PS-62 where Grand Democratic Alliance’s Ayaz Latif Palijo was facing PPP’s Jam Khan Shoro and Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party’s Dr Qadir Magsi. At polling station-21 in the adjacent school in the same constituency, 250 votes were polled out of 1,204.

Four persons were injured in a brawl over slip’s issuance in the village of Luqman Korejo, Hala, located in PS-59. Polling had to be suspended and law enforcers were called. Later, polling was restored.

According to GDA candidate Naseer Memon, polling by and large remained peaceful in this constituency where he was facing PPP’s Makhdoom Mehboob Zaman.

Polling also remained peaceful in Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar and Tando Mohammad Khan districts where many one-on-one contests were staged between the PPP, GDA and independents.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2018