Pak ongoing delimitation exercise has political parties on the edge

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Islamabad, Sep 30 (IANS) The ongoing delimitation process in Pakistan being carried out as per the latest figures of the Digital Census, have started to show its impact and the affects on the re-arrangements of constituencies across the country, which would have a direct consequence in the January 2024 general elections.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has published a list of preliminary delimitations, re-arranging electoral districts across the country in reference to the 2023 digital census.

The list has clubbed dozens of districts to rationalise the population of constituencies and has shuffled the number of seats in the national and the provincial assemblies, assigned to various districts.

According to the list, the total number of seats in the National Assembly has been downsized from 342 to 336. This will have a major impact on the standing of all political parties, who intend to gain majority seats in the National Assembly to form the government.

Clubbing of important districts in one constituency will also push political parties to rethink on the selection of their electoralcandidates for different constituencies.

Experts opine that the ECP delimitation list is in line with the current standing of the National Assembly seats.

“The previous National Assembly consisted of 342 seats. But it should be remembered that the 25thAmendment, under which the erstwhile tribal areas were merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, 12 seats of Federally Administered Tribal Areas were abolished and six were allocated to KP, bringing the total number of seats in the National Assembly down to 336. This is also the figure that the current delimitation plan arrives at,” said political analyst Iftikhar Khan.

The voters can challenge the latest delimitations by October 27.

But as far as the political parties are concerned, clubbing of major districts into one constituency will create a race of contention among electable candidates within every party, willing to get their hands on the party ticket on their relevant constituencies.

“The delimitation process will have a serious impact on elections, voters, candidates and selection process of political parties. Earlier, there could be two candidates from two different constituencies and both would have a strong vote bank and acceptance within their voters,” said political analyst Zebunissa Burki

"But now with both districts clubbed into one constituency; one of the two would have to back out and support the other. This is not something that we see candidates doing. No politicians want to let go of his constituency. And this is what will be a serious issue for political parties in their efforts to convince one of the two powerful candidates in their party for the constituency," she said.

The clubbing of districts will also have an impact on the outcome of the election results as the latest delimitation may affect voter turnout.

It has been witnessed in the past that hardcore supporters of a particular party and its candidate, do not necessarily come out with the same support for a different candidate, be it from the same party, which directly impacts the turnout of voters and the election results as well.

“We saw it in the Multan bypolls, people didn’t vote for a PTI female candidate despite the fact that she was daughter of PTI co-chairperson Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Ali Musa Gillani of the PPP defeated Meher Bano Qureshi comprehensively from a constituency, which was Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s stronghold. But the fact was, the voters voted for Qureshi, but did not turn up to vote for his daughter,” said senior political analyst Muneeb Farooq.

This also goes on to signify the importance and relevance of completion of delimitation process before the polls as clubbing, re-arrangement and shuffling of districts across the country, would certainly have a major affect on the outcome of the next general elections in the country.

--IANS

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