Karachi by-polls turn out to be lacklustre

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had set up around 10 polling stations in Model Village for the by-election for the National Assembly constituency NA-243. But Sunday began like any other holiday in the locality, also known as Hussain Hazara Goth, located in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town.

Resident Muhammad Raza Ali was reading Urdu dailies at a teashop like he always does. He seemed blind to the heavy security arrangements made for the polling stations in the locality. He spent the day reading different newspapers instead of exercising his right to vote.

The situation of the locality contrasted sharply with the enthusiasm observed here on July 25, when the general elections brought out a large number of people to the cast their ballots. Activists of different political parties had set up their election camps near every polling station this July. The political workers were also seen assisting the voters in finding their names on the voter lists. As part of electioneering, some activists also rode on motorbikes, with the flags of their respective parties raised high.

On Sunday, however, the area seemed dead. Almost all the locals remained busy with their everyday chores and routines, with not a shred of enthusiasm towards the electoral exercise. The dull state the locality appeared in made it quite difficult to believe that this was the same constituency from where the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Prime Minister Imran Khan and Sindh Assembly opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi (PS-101) were elected less than three months ago. “We were expecting that the PTI’s top leadership, who was elected from the area, would change our luck in no time, but nothing has been changed,” said Raza Ali. “Filthy water is still gushing out from open gutters. No one is interested in resolving our problems, which is why the people are not interested in voting.”

Ali was not the only person who was the least bothered about casting his ballot. A similar situation was observed in other neighbourhoods of the constituency, as well as in the provincial assembly constituency PS-87.

Even the election camps set up by different political parties seemed less crowded. The ECP staff and polling agents waited for voters inside the polling stations while political activists waited for them at their camps.

“Sunday is a holiday, and the people of Karachi generally go to bed late,” said PTI worker Kamran Khan, who was on duty at one of the election camps of his party near the Urdu University’s polling station. “That might explain why the number of voters has been low,” he ventured his opinion. He, however, hoped that the turnout would pick up after 2pm. A number of voters in the constituency said they had come out to vote only because the polling stations were close to their homes. “Had the polling station been a bit far from my home, I would not have voted,” said Asghar Khan.

The overall voter turnout was estimated to be as low as 20 per cent. While over 20 candidates were in the race for the NA seat, the main contest appeared to be between the PTI and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). The election camps of the other parties looked as good as deserted.