HARIPUR, Oct 8: As the electioneering in Haripur picks up close to the election day the political parties have exhilarated their efforts to bag maximum seats.

There are four PA seats, PF-49 Haripur I, PF-50 Haripur II, PF-51 Haripur III and PF 52 Haripur IV. The PF-49 Haripur-I, consists of nine rural union councils with 194,679 registered voters.

This constituency which lacked basic amenities, had remained the stronghold of Rajgans of Khanpur till 1993’s elections, Dr Raja Aamir Zaman, district Nazim, was defeated by the PML-N’s Sardar Mushtaq twice with a narrow margin.

This time Raja Faisal Zaman the younger son of Raja Sikandar has been challenged by his nephew Raja Sheeraz Haidar of PML-N. The former lost the union Nazim election to the later with a thumping majority in last years LB polls.

PF-50 Haripur II, is a constituency known as Tareens’ specific from where no other aspirant had ever succeeded since 1985. This constituency comprises 125,487 registered voters and 13 UCs.

There are six candidates in the run for this seat they include Yusuf Ayub Khan of PML-N, Qazi Mohmmad Asad Khan of PML (QA), Raja Tahir Ayub, independent, Malik Abdul Jaleel advocate MMA, Zulfiqar Ahmad Qureshi of PPP, and Seth Naveed Asghar of Hazara Qaumi Mahaz.

Mr Ayub, whose family had ruled the roost for over four decades politically in the district, is vying for the fourth time from the same constituency. His paternal uncle Goher Ayub Khan is in the camp of PML-Q and his son, Omar Ayub, is contesting for NA-19 on PML-Q ticket.

Yusuf Ayub was elected thrice from this constituency during 1988 and 1993 as an independent candidate while he made it to the provincial assembly in 1997. There is a neck-to-neck fight between Yusuf Ayub and Qazi Asad of the PML-Q.

Qazi Asad who is a graduate from London has the support of Awans, Gujjars, Maliks of Malikpua, Mughals, Citizen Forum. Though faced by an experienced Yusuf Ayub, Qazi who too is popular among newly registered young voters is considered to be the only person to break status quo.

PF-51 Haripur-III, is the constituency known as the stronghold of Gujjars comprising 11 UCs and 109,326 registered voters, where Sardar Mushtaq of PML-N is pitted against Akhtar Nawaz Khan an independent candidate, who lost three elections to Pir Sabir Shah when Khalabat Township was annexed with old PF-41.

Sardar Mushtaq had defeated Dr Raja Amir Zaman twice during 1993-97 elections, when Khanpur and Kotnajibullah were the part of old PF-39. Sardar, a Gujjar in cast, had also remained chairman DDC Haripur and provincial minister for a short time.

PF-52 Haripur-IV, is another important constituency which attracts attention of people countrywide as there is a tough fight going to take place between PML-N’S provincial president Pir Sabir Shah and Faisal Zaman (PML-Q), the nephew of a shipping tycoon, Mohammad Rehamn, known as Jhazan wala group.

The constituency is encompassed by 97 per cent rural and underdeveloped 11 UCs with 114,016 voters.

However it is believed that a tough fight between the top two contenders would decide the future of the politics of this constituency which remained a stronghold of Pir Sabir Shah facilitating his success since 1985.

Though some circles still optimistic of the success of Pir of Sirikot, yet the ground situation indicates that it would be a toughest kind of fight on PF-52.