Tough fight expected at NA-172

DERA GHAZI KHAN, March 27: The stage has been set for by-polls on NA-172 seat which will be held on Tuesday (tomorrow) while the election commission has established 260 polling stations in the constituency. The Election Commission had announced the by-elections on NA-172 in October after it fell vacant following the death of MNA Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari. The election schedule was first changed because of Moharrum and then due to the secondary school exams. However, the six-month long election campaign will come to an end on Sunday midnight. Three major candidates, Shabbir Ahmad Khan Leghari of the PPP, Dr Hafiz Abdul Karim of the PML-N and Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari of the PML-Q, are in the run. Political pundits are expecting a tough contest among the three candidates. Returning officer Rasheed Ahmad said that 260 polling stations and 636 polling booths had been established where 397,000 voters would exercise their right of vote on March 29. He said that at least 1,550 polling staff would perform their duties on polling booths. He said that Rangers would be deployed on the polling day to avoid any untoward incident. Meanwhile, all the three potential candidates held huge public rallies in the last hours of the campaign. The PML-Q held its last public meeting on Saturday in which party's central leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Shaikh Rashid of the Awami League addressed. Mr Elahi said the PML-Q would establish the Seraiki province after gaining power in parliament. The PML-N held its last public meeting on Sunday which was addressed by Khawaja Saad Rafique and other central leaders of the party. The PPP's public meeting was addressed by Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, party's Punjab president Imtiaz Safdar Warraich and other MNAs and MPAs. It was for the first time in the electoral history of the Dera Ghazi Khan that all three major candidates used all resources to won the by-polls. Senators, MNAs and MPAs of the PML-N, the PML-Q and the PPP have ensured their presence in the city to boost the electioneering of their respective candidates. PML-Q's candidate Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari has lodged a complaint with the chief election commission against the use of official resources by the PML-N and the PPP for their respective candidates. Returning officer Rasheed Ahmad said he had written to the DCO and the DPO of Dera Ghazi Khan to play their role in stopping violations of the code of conduct of elections.