KARACHI, Feb 19: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has won enough seats in the Sindh Assembly to form a provincial government on its own, but it may opt for a coalition government with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) out of compulsion for a national reconciliation as witnessed in 1988.

Elections were held on 130 general seats of the provincial assembly. The total seats will reach 168 after reserved seats for women and minorities are filled in.

According to unofficial results received till late last night, the PPP won 65 seats and the MQM 38. All other parties were swept away by the sympathy wave triggered by Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

The PML-N, which did extremely well in the Punjab both at the national and provincial levels, failed to bag even a single seat. However, the PML-Q managed to earn nine provincial assembly seats, primarily due to the personal influence of its candidates. The Awami National Party, which had adjusted seats with the PPP, won two seats. The MMA did not contest and there were 11 others, mostly independents.

Despite Tharparker’s elections being marred by controversy and PPP candidates’ complaints of misuse of power, ballot paper theft and holding election staff hostage, former chief minister Arbab Rahim seemed to be gloating over his success. But he faces daunting challenges in the court.

The PPP lost one National and two provincial assembly seats in Thatta to the Shirazi group, which was routed in the rest of the district.

PPP senior vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim managed an effortless victory over his PML-N opponent. So was the case with Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Nisar Khuhro.

Benazir Bhutto’s sympathy wave swept away the Jatois, many PML-F stalwarts and some very influential families. In many ways it repeated the performance of the 1988 elections. The MQM, which emerged as the second largest party in the province, retained 38 seats, gaining in Hyderabad and Karachi.

PPP and MQM leaders have shown considerable restraint during their election campaign and talked about a live-and-let-live policy and bilateral cooperation in the larger interest of the province and the country. MQM chief Altaf Hussain has already said that his party will cooperate with anyone having the people’s mandate. PPP’s slain chairperson had also indicated the need for cooperation with the MQM for forging a national consensus and reconciliation. But, much would depend on the outcome of the decisions taken in the CEC of the PPP and CWC of PML-N and between the leaders of the two parties on setting the national agenda.

The poll results for Karachi seem to have proved wrong the electoral assessments about ‘surprises’ as the results of the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats indicate that the MQM was the major winner.

According to official results made available by the Election Commission, the MQM secured 17 of the 20 NA seats and 35 of the 42 PS seats in Karachi. The PPP won three NA and seven PS seats. The ANP secured two seats.

Results of the PS-114 and PS-128 constituencies were announced late on Tuesday, which returned an MQM and an ANP candidate.

Our Hyderabad Bureau adds: In Hyderabad, the MQM gained its lost ground in one each of three NA and six PA constituencies, while PPP retained its two PA and one NA seats.

In Matiari district, PPP swept the polls by bagging all the three seats, NA-218 and PS-43 and PS-44. PPP’s Makhdoom Mohammad Amin Fahim won NA-218 and PS-44. His son Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman (PPP) defeated Syed Shah Mohammad Shah of PML-F on PS-43.

It was a repeat performance by the PPP in Tando Mohammad Khan district where PPP candidate Syed Naveed Qamar Shah on NA-222 got 84,885 votes and defeated PML-Q candidate Pir Sajjad Jan Sarhandi (25,793 votes).

Dr Fehmida Mirza of PPP secured 88,983 votes, defeating Bibi Yasmin Shah of PML-Q (24,488 votes) for NA-225.

Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza of PPP (33,111 votes) defeated Syed Ali Bux alias Pappu Shah of PML-Q (13,853 votes) on PS-57.

PPP won all the three National Assembly and seven provincial assembly seats in Dadu and Jamshoro districts.

In an interesting contest, PPP’s Syed Murad Ali Shah (97,925 votes) beat PML-Q’s Liaquat Ali Jatoi (45,125 votes) for the Sindh Assembly seat of PS-73 (Sehwan).

A tough fight was seen for PS-24 where Chaudhry Tariq Masood Arain of PPP (36,102 votes) defeated Abdul Rasheed Bhaya of MQM (33,100 votes).

In Mirpurkhas, PPP’s Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani (78,577 votes) defeated MQM’s professor Khursheed Ahmed Siddiqui (38,273 votes) on NA-226.

But on PS-64, MQM’s Faheem Ahmed Altafi (32,697 votes) defeated PPP’s Naveed Buland (30,023 votes).

On NA-228 Umerkot-I, PPP’s Nawab Yousuf Talpur (73,727 votes) defeated independent candidate Qasim Siraj Soomro (29,437 votes).

However, in the constituency of NA-211, NPP’s Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi defeated Zulfiqar Behan of PPP.

In a keenly watched fight on NA-202 in Shikarpur, Dr Ibrahim Jatoi of NPP (53,752 votes) defeated PPP stalwart Aftab Shaban Mirani.

PPP’s Syed Qaim Ali Shah won from PS-29 securing 46,631 votes against 10,900 bagged by his rival PML-F’s Zafar Iqbal Bilal.

Other major winners are Manzoor Hussain Wassan (PPP), Sassui Palijo (PPP) and Nisar Ahmed Khuhro (PPP).