HYDERABAD/MATIARI: Allegations and counter-allegations of rigging, an eleventh-hour boycott by a ten-party alliance candidate against MQM, mismanagement inside polling stations, closure of a polling station in NA-220 city, and the presence of ‘outsiders’ in female polling stations were some highlights of the election in Hyderbad and its surrounding areas.

Apparently, polling remained by and large peaceful in Hyderabad and Matiari, barring two separate firing incidents in which one person was injured in unit-8 Latifabad at an election camp.

There were violations of ECP’s code of conduct too. For instance, no election camp was to be established or transport to be provided to voters. But these violations of these two rules were quite visible. At some places such camps were seen within 400 yards of a polling station. Voters were also brought to polling stations in rickshaws and cars provided by candidates’ supporters.

At many polling stations, the polling started at 8am but voters were not seen in different areas of Hyderabad. It was a gazetted holiday today and many enjoyed it by playing cricket on the roads as well. In the morning hours, voter turnout was low but it picked up. Turnout was recorded at 30 to 40 per cent at different polling stations.

A female polling station, number 221 of NA-220 Hyderabad city was closed after its presiding officer couldn’t bear the rush of voters and fainted in the heat. The district returning officer decided that the results in this area will not be counted, in accordance with the law. Reports said that following the closure of polling, some miscreants resorted to firing in the area.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema Pakistan President Sahibzada Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair, a candidate on NA-220 city, announced boycott of elections in the city. He said that polls were marred by rigging. He was accompanied by JI’s candidates for NA-219 Sheikh Shaukat, Abdul Waheed Qureshi on PS-46, and Hussain Bux Hussaini on PS-45. Sunni Tehrik’s Abid Qadri and Khalid Hassan were also present and supported his contention. JI ameer Syed Munawar Hassan had already announced a boycott of polls in Karachi and Hyderabad.

“MQM activists secured control of polling stations across the city,” the JUP president said. According to him even women workers of JUP were ‘insulted’. “Our voters were not allowed to cast their votes and ballots were torn into shreds”, he claimed. He alleged that polling staff were partial and presiding officers favoured by the MQM were appointed. “Even SHOs were transferred to support MQM,” he said.

PPP district president Zahid Bhurgari, meanwhile, along with PPP’s candidate on NA-219 Ali Mohammad Sahto, NA-220 Saghir Qureshi, and Abdul Jabbar Khan of PS-49 said that rigging was carried out as well.

The situation in Matiari district – largely a rural constituency – was quite different even at 9am. There was a massive turnout in Matiari, Hala and New Saeedabad. Women voters had reached the polling stations despite severe heat. A large number of women voters, mostly belonging to poor families or peasantry were sent in to Hala.

Razaq Memon – a rival of Makhdoom Amin Fahim on NA-218 – accused PPP’s women wing leader Shagufta Jumani of casting bogus votes. She was the chief polling agent. “I had to reach here because our opponents were getting polling suspended to delay it,” Jumani said.

Elsewhere in Matiari, polling went smoothly and without any major unpleasant incident. Makhdoom Amin Fahim cast his vote at PS-17 in a government boys high school in Hala. In union council Shahmir Rahu – home town of Nazir Rahu, the main contestant against Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman, Fahim’s son— men were found in female polling booths set up at government primary school Shahmir Rahu. At polling station number 37a man identified as Haji Ghulam Nabi Rahu, the uncle of Nazir Rahu, was seen sitting inside the polling station. When asked for identification as a chief polling agent, he didn’t show anything and just said ‘It’s lying in my car.’

At polling station no 144 (female) located in government girls college, 164 votes were polled out of 1082 at 2pm. The presiding officer claimed women gate-crashed the polling booth so she was left with no option but to call in the army to discipline them.

PPP’s Sharjeel Memon accused Shahabuddin Shah Hussaini of PML-F and independent candidate Khawand Bux Jahejo of rigging the polls. “Polling in different areas were suspended by them to delay the polling process,” he said, while denying that he had manhandled the presiding officer of polling station-217 in his constituency of PS-50. But reports said his guards had manhandled a polling personnel.

Voters cast their votes in Hyderabad without any major incident of violence. The presiding officers appeared confused. They didn’t have the total number of registered voters at various polling stations though many also complained that complete polling material was not provided to them. For example, some of them told Dawn that they didn’t have access to pens and too few ballot papers.