Battle for NA-235: PTI confident of another victory as MQM-P aims to win back seat

Karachi's NA-235, a National Assembly constituency in the East district, stands out for its vibrant ethnic mix comprising a blend of middle and lower-middle-class communities coexisting in urban and katchi abadis settlements.

Of the 22 NA seats in the metropolis, NA-235, formerly known as NA-242, bears the unique distinction of having the lowest number of registered voters.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the constituency has a total of 170,176 registered voters, comprising 97,741 males and 72,435 females. This figure stands in stark contrast to its total population of 1,024,024 voters. The registered voters account for a mere 16.63 per cent of the total population.

The low voter turnout can be traced to a substantial number of residents lacking permanent address, who are hesitant to register their votes within this constituency. A comparison between registered voters in 2018 and 2024 shows a reduction of over 13,000 voters as registered voters in the previous general elections totalled 183,373.

The constituency is home to a diverse population, representing a mixture of people belonging to the Sindhi, Urdu-speaking, Punjabi, and Pakhtun backgrounds. Areas such as Ahsanabad, New Sabzi Mandi, Scheme 33, Ayub Goth, Gujro, Saadi Town, Amroha Society, Johar Complex, Ghareebabad, Jamali Goth, Al Asif Square, Sohrab Goth, Super Highway and Janat Gul Town are part of NA-235.

Three provincial seats -- PS-97, PS-98 and PS-99 -- fall within the constituency.

A total of 96 polling stations, comprising 85 combined, 6 for male voters, and 5 for female voters, will be set up in the constituency, two polling stations less compared to the 98 ones set up in the previous elections.

A total of 25 candidates are participating in the elections, representing 13 political and religious parties and 12 independent candidates. Notable figures among them are Saifur Rehman of the PTI (independent), Muhammad Asif Khan of the PPP, Muhammad Iqbal Khan of the MQM-P, Sharafat Khan of the PML-N, Dr Meraj Ul Huda Siddiqui of Jamaat-e-Islami, Muhammad Arif of TLP and Syed Ali Hussain of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party. One woman, Noshera Bibi, is also in the race.

In the 2018 elections,

Saifur Rehman emerged victorious in this constituency with

27,502 votes, PPP's Muhammad Iqbal Sand was the runner-up with 11,824 votes, Asadullah Bhutto of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal came third with 8,262 votes, Sharafat Khan secured the fourth position with 7,060 votes, and MQM's Kishwar Zehra obtained 6,393 votes.

Bhutto secured victory in the 2002 elections for the old NA-253 seat with 28,840 votes. In 2008, Haider Abbas Rizvi of the MQM clinched the seat by securing 96,973 votes, and in 2013, Muzammil Qureshi of the same party was elected with 101,386 votes. Speaking to The News, Saifur Rehman said, "My contest is not with anyone in this constituency as I had won the previous election with a huge lead, three times the votes bagged by the runner-up.

It will be hard to manipulate the results in this constituency because there is a difference of thousands of votes, not just 200 to 300." He sees “300 per cent” chances of getting re-elected if the elections are not rigged.

Meraj Ul Huda Siddiqui sounded optimistic about winning the NA seat. "I have positive vibes about prospects of my victory. The educated and middle-class will support us because they want an end to corruption and land grabbing. With their support, we will emerge victorious InshAllah," he said.

When reminded about the JI's alliance with other parties in the previous elections, Siddiqui said: "We observed public sentiments. People do not like our contesting elections in alliance with other parties, so we are going solo this time."

MQM-P's Iqbal Khan said this seat had traditionally been held by the party. "It won the seat in the 2008 and 2013 elections but lost in the 2018 general elections, which was not an election but a selection," he opined.

He added that party had been winning this seat with a huge margin and was hopeful that there are “110 per cent” chances of the party reclaiming the seat on February 8.

PPP's Asif Khan neither attended calls nor responded to messages on WhatsApp.