LARKANA, Aug 28: The People’s Party Parliamentarians has announced to nominate candidates for posts of nazim for Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts within a couple of days.

Speaking at a meeting of UC nazims and councillors-elect here on Sunday, district president of the PPP, Ayaz Soomro MPA, said party chairperson Benazir Bhutto would finalize the names.

He claimed that a majority of councillors in the two district belonged to the ADP and the PPP would form governments in the two districts.

MNAs Ruqia Khanum Soomro, Khalid Iqbl Memon, Ramesh Lal, Hizbullah Bughio, Shahid Bhutto, Anwar Bhutto and MPAs Munwar Ali Abbasi, Najamuddain Abro and Aziz Jatoi were present on the occasion.

Mr Soomro said the PPP suffered a setback because of gerrymandering, unparalleled rigging, blatant use of state machinery and use of fake identity cards.

He urged workers to focus on contacting councillors to muster maximum support.

He said ballot papers were stamped by pro-government candidates under the nose of police and polling continued at certain polling stations after the end of prescribed time.

He said district returning officers and returning officers chose to remain in chambers and handed over polling station to the government-backed agents.

Mr Soomro called for collecting evidences of irregularities, illegalities and rigging so that the election commission could be approached for appropriate action.

Shahnawaz Chandio, who contested on PPP ticket against his uncle Nawab Shabbir Chandio in Gaibidero union council, alleged that more than 500 fake identity cards were used in the polling.

He said the government had yet not provided results of two polling stations and apprehended that result had been manipulated.

He called upon the election commission for recounting, hoping that in fair recount he (Shahnawaz Chandio) would win.

Meanwhile, the PPP despite suffering a setback in results of nazims in Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts, outshined the Khushhal Pakistan Panel by securing 187 seats of councillors in the Larkana district.

According to the figures gathered by Dawn PPP-backed councillors emerged victorious in Larkana and Ratodero talukas.

The KPP candidates grabbed 169 seats of councillors with clear majority in Bakrani and Dokri talukas.

The break-up showed the Sindh Nation Front had fielded well in Ratodero and clinched certain seats in the PPP dominated areas.

It had obtained 40 seats with a majority in Ratodero taluka while a new alliance the Sarwan Ittehad ostensibly supported by Pir Pagaro and the government had secured 15 seats of councillors in the district.

The JUI begged two seats while the MQM’s Haqparast got three seats in the district.

The independents secured 48 seats which according to the PPP quarters would matter in deciding the fate of new district nazim and taluka nazims in the district.

It was learnt that the PPP was contemplating to strike a deal with Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto for easy sail in forming the district government, sources said.

The former district nazim of Larkana, Khursheed Junejo, had flown to Dubai to meet Benazir Bhutto.

It may be mentioned that the PPP is divided over hammering out any deal with Mumtaz Bhutto, the sources said.

They said without seeking support of the SNF it could be difficult for the PPP to form district government in the district.