LARKANA: PPPP's three candidates out of four, despite their being new faces and weak in individual capacity, are most likely to win the National Assembly seats from Larkana district, as it is the stronghold of PPP.

As Mumtaz Ali Bhutto is striving to tighten noose around the PPPP by using all resources, the PPPP is also busy in mustering support to humiliate its opponents. In Dokri, Jatoi, Bughio, Siyal, Jungio and Tunio tribes have promised support to PPPP candidate from NA-205, Hizbullah Bughio and from PS-36 Sarwar Siyal.

Recently, a crony of Altaf Unnar disassociated himself from him, and announced to support PPPP's candidate Ghulam Sarwar Siyal. Former MPA and chief of Jalbani tribe Sardar Allah Bux Jalbani also announced the other day to support PPPP candidates from NA-207 and PS-37. He has called upon the people under his influence to strengthen the hands of Benazir Bhutto by casting votes in favour of PPPP candidates. Despite new and weak candidates from all the four seats of National Assembly of Larkana, PPPP seems to sweep them all except one -- that of Dokri and Warah. The situation on National Assembly seats of Larkana can be described as under:

NA-204 (Larkana-I, city area)

Seven candidates are in the run from this constituency which has been the traditional constituency of Begum Nusrat Bhutto who always succeeded from here. She is now out of contest due to serious illness.

The contestants include Muhammad Anwar Bhutto (PPPP), Riaz Kansro (MQM), Babu Sarfaraz Jatoi (PML-N), Muhammad Ashique Dhamrah (MMA), Begum Nasim Akhtar Sehito (NA), Syed Pir Shah (PML-QA) and Muhammad Younis Bukhari (PAT).

The real contest on this seat is among the PPPP, PML-N, MMA and NA. But the PPPP has an edge because its vote bank in Larkana is intact and despite being a new face Anwar Bhutto is expected to win the seat. His fielding on this seat is strategic, being a Bhutto and the General Secretary of PPPP District Larkana he is sure to bag this seat.

As a result of seat adjustment, the SDA will support Ashique Dhamrah here. Although the SDA has no vote bank in Larkana the supporters of Mansoor Shaikh (SDA) contesting from PS-36 will vote for Dhamrah as he has withdrawn from PS-36.

Dhamrah may give a tough time to Anwar Bhutto who belongs to village Banguldero, some 20 kilometres away from here, and was a right candidate for NA-207 (Ratodero-Miro Khan-Shahdadkot) but the PPPP decided in his favour from here.

Syed Pir Shah, a banker-turned-politician, enjoys the support of Altaf Unnar. However, being a new face he has no vote bank. Riaz Kanasro (MQM) has a very limited vote bank and is not a strong candidate for PPPP. Younis Bukhari (PAT) is also a new face, so PPPP has no challenge from NA-204. The number of voters is 275,646.

NA-205 (Dokri-Warah)

This is the constituency where the toughest contest is expected. Here Altaf Unnar (PML-QA) faces Hizbullah Bughio (PPPP). Others in the contest are three independent candidates, namely Ali Gohar Tunio, Mukhtar Ali Tunio and Ghulam Yasin Mirani. But the real contest is between Altaf Unnar and Hizbullah Bughio. Altaf Unnar has a say and sway in this constituency. According to political pundits, the fresh delimitation of NA-205 is in favour of Unnar. Former MPA late Ghulam Hussain Unnar, elder brother of Altaf, did a lot of work for the well being of the people of this area which Altaf continued. He also had won Sindh Assembly seat from Dokri in 1997. Bughio though himself is not so strong a candidate, but PPPP's backing for him is a plus point. Altaf's nephew Shafquat Hussain Unnar has disassociated himself from his uncle and has joined the PPPP. He was also PPPP candidate from PS-35, but his nomination papers were rejected. He is also supporting Hizbullah. Moreover, he is the brother of Naib Zila Nazim Larkana Nazeer Bughio. The number of voters is 263,769.

NA-206 (Kamber and parts of Miro Khan, Warah and Shahdadkot)

This is the constituency of Nawab Shabbir Ahmed Chandio from where he has always succeeded. But this time around he is out of contest because his nomination papers have been rejected on the grounds that his degree issued by an unregistered seminary of Naudero (Larkana) was not acceptable as equal to graduation. Shabbir also resigned from his party post due to rift on fielding candidates. On this seat there are three candidates -- Khalid Iqbal Memon (PPPP), Syed Asghar Hussain Shah Rashdi (SDA) and Fida Hussain Magsi (PML-N). Memon was fielded here as a covering candidate, but due to disqualification of Chandio he was retained as a permanent candidate of PPPP. He is a lawyer and not a politician and can win this seat only with the active support of Shabbir, who, The News has learnt, has agreed to support him. However, Rashdi will give him a tough time and chances are equal for both. They do not face any challenge from Magsi, opine political analysts.

There are seven candidates on this seat -- Shahid Hussain Bhutto (PPPP), Ubaidullah Lolai (MQM), Farooq Bhutto (PPP-SB), Arif Jalbani (PML-N), Dr Maghar Mughal (Ind), Manzoor Lashari (Ind) and Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro (MMA). This is the traditional constituency of Benazir Bhutto from where she has won elections right from 1988 to 1997. This time she is out of contest due to her disqualification and her cousin Shahid Bhutto has been fielded who faces Dr Khalid Mahmood Soomro (MMA) who is provincial general secretary of JUI and his party enjoys great influence in this area, while being the candidate of MMA, he will also be supported by Sunnis and Shias. This makes Dr Soomro a strong contender against Shahid Bhutto whose only plus point is that he represents PPPP. The number of voters is 252,311.