Six candidates were left in the run to contest City Nazim Karachi election, as four nomination papers were withdrawn on Wednesday, the last for the purpose.
Federal Ports and Shipping Minister Babar Khan Ghauri, M.A. Jalil, Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister for Excise & Taxation and Wasim Akhtar, Adviser to Sindh CM on Local Government, of Haq Parast Group and Muslim Pervez of Al-Khidmat Panel withdrew their nominations.
The six contestants left in the field are Former City Nazim Naimatullah Khan of Al-Khidmat Group, Sindh Information Technology Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal of Haq Parast Group, MNA Fauzia Wahab of Awam-Dost Panel, Syed Zahid Ali Shah of Watan Nawaz and two independent candidates Dr Hanif and Rizwan Akram. Election will be held on October 6.
The number of nominations papers withdrawn for reserved seats in City Council Karachi were 65, including 20 against Labour seats, 32 in women reserved seats and 13 for minority seats.
After withdrawal of four nomination papers for City Nazim election, it has become clear that Syed Mustafa Kamal is the consensus candidate of the ruling coalition for the post.
While no one from the ruling PML-Q filed the nomination papers for City Nazim slot, the withdrawal of three MQM-backed candidates also endorsed Syed Mustafa Kamal as being the consensus candidate of ruling partners.
However, on the other hand, the opposition parties are still struggling to field a consensus candidate as evident from the fact that Jamaat-e-Islami, Peoples Party Parliamentarians and Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz candidates are still in the running.
While it was being speculated that opposition parties might have agreed on one candidate and on the last day nominations of other candidates would be withdrawn. However no such thing happened and Naimatullah Khan, Fauzia Wahab and Zahid Ali Shah are still in the contest.
A leader of PPPP, when approached, conceded that opposition parties are yet to reach on a consensus on a joint candidate. "PPPP and JI are in contact and negotiating over the matter", he added.
The last date of withdrawal of nomination papers, the PPPP leader added, does not hold significance if both parties reached on an agreement, as a candidate can withdraw at anytime of the contest.