With diverse demography, it is difficult to predict winner in NA-237 East

With the February 8 elections a week away, NA-237, a National Assembly seat in Karachi's District East, has been witnessing heightened electioneering. More than the NA seat itself, a hotly-contested provincial seat falling in this constituency, PS-105, is also the centre of attention because of the head-to-head contest between two stalwarts — Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Saeed Ghani and Grand Democratic Alliance’s (GDA) Irfanullah Marwat.

NA-237 East consists of Azam Basti, Akhtar Colony, Chanesar Goth, Defence View, Baltistan Mohalla, Ibne Sina Lane, Jacob Line, Lines Area, Manzoor Colony, Karachi Admin Society, Mehmoodabad, PECHS and Taj Complex.

With a population of 989,666, the constituency has a total of 413,942 registered voters, including 226,178 male and 187,764 female voters.

In the last general elections, the constituency of Mehmoodabad and Chanesar Goth was named NA-244 and it included Pehlwan Goth and its adjoining areas of Gulistan-e-Jauhar as well. Now Pehlwan Goth and its adjoining areas have been included in another constituency and some new areas have been added to the Mehmoodabad constituency — now named NA-237.

The constituency has seen a rise in its population in the 2023 census, and there has also been an increase of more than 6,500 voters. In 2018, the total number of registered voters was 407,363.

Almost all major parties have fielded their candidates in this constituency. The prominent candidates in the race for the NA seat include Abdul Rauf Siddiqui of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), PPP’s Asad Alam Niazi, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s Rehan Qaiser Sheikh, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Advocate Zahooruddin, Jamaat-e-Islami's (JI) Irfan Ahmed, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan's (TLP) Muhammad Shahid and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party's Zanaira Rehman.

On Wednesday, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl announced withdrawal of its candidate in favour of the MQM-P’s Siddiqui.

In the last general elections, the PTI's Syed Ali Haider Zaidi had won this seat by bagging 69,480 votes. The PML-N's Miftah Ismail was the runner-up with 31,247 votes.

Siddiqui was also the MQM-P’s candidate in the 2018 polls. He secured 19,527 votes and came third. Zahid Saeed of the JI, which was then part of the alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, polled 17,894 votes.

Mian Vaqar Akhtar Paganwala of the PPP bagged 14,746 and Yasha Ullah Khan Afghan of the TLP secured 9,273.

In the three consecutive general elections prior to the 2018 polls, then united MQM secured victory in this constituency with its candidates Safwanullah, Wasim Akhtar and Syed Ali Raza Abidi getting elected in the 2002, 2008 and 2013 general elections respectively.

"Are you not aware that the NA seat was taken away from the MQM and handed over to the PTI as a gift?" protested Rauf Siddiqui, when reminded of the party's defeat in the previous elections.

"A total of 10 seats that belonged to the MQM-P were given to the PTI," he asserted.

Siddiqui is confident that the MQM-P will win back the seat with a huge margin.

Meanwhile, the PPP candidate, Niazi, who is contesting the elections from NA-237 for the first time, sees "very good chances” of winning the seat.

He told The News that people would vote for the PPP on February 8 because of uplift work carried out by the party's provincial government in the constituency.

"The PPP has carried out a lot work. It has constructed roads, laid water pipelines, and built a park, hospital, and gym. The PECHS nullah has been rebuilt, due to which property rates have gone up threefold in the area," he said. Niazi said the PPP was also getting good response in Lines Area, which used to be a ‘no-go area’. The people in these areas were happy with the PPP and wanted a change, he remarked, adding that they would support the new vision of the PPP.

PTI-backed candidate Zahooruddin, who is also contesting the elections from the NA constituency for the first time, stated that his door-to-door campaign had been receiving positive response from voters. "There are clear signs for my victory as this constituency belongs to Imran Khan," he maintained.

In terms of demography, NA-237 is one of the most diverse constituencies of the metropolis. On the one hand, it includes PECHS, one of the most privileged areas of the city, along with one of the most famous commercial centres of the city Tariq Road, and on the other hand, it comprises underprivileged Mehmoodabad and Lines Area.

Areas in the NA constituency face various issues, including water shortage, swerage and sanitation issues, and gas and electricity load-shedding. Drug peddling is another major issue plaguing Chanesar Goth and adjoining areas. Election observers expect a tough contest in the constituency among candidates of the PPP, MQM-P and PTI.