Badin the next battlefield for LB polls

Conventionally a peaceful district of Sindh, Badin could be another battle ground like Khairpur in second phase of local body polls, The News has learnt.
Political atmosphere is fully charged in Badin and observers believe that district could be turned in another battle ground like Khairpur, where on October 31, in first phase of local government elections in a clash between rival parties, 12 people were killed and several wounded, majority of them workers of PML-F.
Badin, a main district of province where ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Dr Zulfiqar Mirza’s group, Ismail Rahoo (president of PML-N Sindh) along with other allies are at loggerheads.
Mirza’s group complained about pre-poll rigging, using of official machinery illegally, changing of polling stations, not supplying of voter lists and other material to them, registering of fake cases against their active workers. Leaders of PPP and district administration refuted all claims.
However, according to the field survey of the area by this reporter it was observed that ruling PPP is using all tactics to win majority of seats which become the challenge for them after differences with Mirza.
Peroz Shahani, an active political worker who is also the candidate of UC Tarai taluka Glarichi, was booked in a terrorism case along with his three associates in another district Nawabshah (Benazirabad), the home district of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari.
Shahni, formerly a worker of PPP, is now associated with Mirza. He told The News that terrorism case registered against him and his other associates is nothing other than political victimization as an impartial inquiry will prove his innocence.
“How a political worker who is candidate of local bodies can imagine being involved in terrorism activities of other districts at this time,” argues Shahani.
He said that ruling party leaders were enjoying full support of government machinery and district election staff is acting like party workers instead of playing impartial role.
He added his group filed objections against 20-plus candidates who according to him were government employees, bank and other utilities defaulters but election staff accepted their nomination forms and ignored legitimate objections.
In an written application submitted before Election Commission of Pakistan, President PML-N Ismail Rahoo narrated that provincial government had conspired to change venues of all polling stations to facilitate their candidates. He said to stop the rigging on polling day and to avoid any untoward situation, it was suggested that the polling scheme for local government 2015 should be kept same as of the general elections 2013.
Rahoo demanded that military or para-military forces be deployed on the each and every polling station, because the police force is completely partial.
Dr Aziz Memon, district general secretary of ruling PPP, told The News all the blames and claims of rivals are baseless, who wanted to sabotage the peaceful election process and put pressure on government machinery and election staff by raising unjustified allegations.
Deputy Commissioner Badin Rafiq Qureshi said all the government machinery is working impartially. “We know our duties and we are acting according to our mandate,” concluded Qureshi.