THE atmosphere feels charged at the Chiragh Hotel bus stop in Landhi No 4. Entering the neighbourhood, attention is immediately claimed by a banner on a huge signboard depicting Mohajir Qaumi Movement chairman Afaq Ahmed. Moving forward, I find a giant billboard portraying his rival, and once his leader, the founding chief of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain.

Those who know Karachi’s electoral traditions and are aware of its bloody history would think that these two billboards placed next to each other would be more than enough to charge the atmosphere. If that weren’t enough, a huge cricket bat — the electoral symbol of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf — and posters of its electoral ally, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), are pasted all around, all the more to thrill.

This busy intersection of the densely populated neighbourhood well depicts Karachi’s electioneering zeal. A few scenes, mostly in the city’s Eastern district like at Chiragh Hotel, make it even more interesting and to some extent tense as well.

I pull up to the camp of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, also known as the MQM-Haqiqi or the MQM-H, to meet teenagers wondering whether they are eligible to vote, while canvassing as well. Azeemuddin tells me that “elders” are expected and I should wait.

Fifteen minutes or so later, a middle-aged man introduces himself as the “campaign in-charge” of the area. Amazingly, though, he denies sharing his name with the newspaper, explaining only that the “situation” after “entry” could take time to normalise.

The residents of Landhi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony and Lines Area know well what “entry” means. The term emerged after 1992 when the Mohajir Qaumi Movement became part of the city’s political scene and made the parts of Karachi “no-go areas” for the rechristened Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and its workers. The events that followed are part of Karachi’s bloody and violent history.

Between 1992 and 2002 the residents of these poor, middle-class income neighbourhoods became used to hear the term “entry”, which referred to one party’s attempt to reclaim its erstwhile stronghold. In 2002, history repeated itself and the MQM-H was thrown out of these areas after the MQM won the city majority in the general elections.

“This time there was no violence during the entry and things went smoothly,” says the man in charge of the MQM-H’s campaign, referring to the party’s revived political activities in certain areas after more than a decade following an intensified “targeted operation” that led to a raid on the MQM’s headquarters Nine Zero in March.

“So far things are going well and we hope they will end well,” he tells me. “We sit here and they [the MQM workers] sit there and we don’t interfere in each other’s activities. We only want to stay in our areas with the freedom of our own choice of party. No one likes violence or bloodshed.” But he just says “let’s see” when I ask about his hopes for the Dec 5 local bodies elections.

At some distance, two trucks and a bus outside the JI camp are about to leave to become part of a huge convoy receiving Imran Khan and Sirajul Haq at Karachi airport to address a joint rally of the two parties.

Wearing a headband depicting the party’s electoral symbol, the scales, Shahid Khan, a young worker of the party, is busy gathering fellow workers. He is emotional and very hopeful about the results of the upcoming elections, believing that the JI-PTI alliance will work.

“If the polls remain peaceful and transparent, you will see major change,” he says. “Our rivals are known for rigging and violence and if they continue to do so, the city’s true mandate will be compromised. It’s a test for the administration and the Rangers.”

Even assuming “peaceful and transparent elections without rigging”, though, Shahid is not sure about the future mayor of Karachi; he keeps his options open, saying “let’s see”.

Unlike its rival, scenes at the MQM camp are quite electric. Young workers snap their fingers to the party’s songs and most are wearing badges of the MQM’s election symbol, the kite. It almost looks like scenes of celebration after poll results have been announced.

“The celebrations have already begun — don’t you know about Hyderabad?” replies Aziz bhai, the most senior person in the camp, when I ask him about the reason for the enthusiasm.

The workers at the camp here are almost certain that their party will pull off a “clean sweep” and most call the process due on Dec 5 a “formality”. Amid their claims comes a comment from an MQM worker that hits me, even as I think about the peaceful campaigning despite the MQM-H’s “entry” into the area.

“They will not stay long. They have to go sooner or later. They don’t have a vote bank, neither do they have the sympathy of the people. They have betrayed the Mohajirs and they will never accept them,” he says.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2015