Voters blame PTI, PML-N for rigging in NA 75 Daska polls: surveys

• Most voters in NA 75 Daska blame PTI and PML-N for rigging and turbulence during the February 19 by-poll, with significantly more people pointing the finger at the PTI. 
  
• Two of the three surveys found that the people support the ECP's decision to call a re-election in the constituency.
• The NA 75 by election on February 19 had been marred by violence and widescale accusations of rigging. It has since been rescheduled to April 10. 
  

KARACHI: Most people believe that both PTI and PML-N were responsible for rigging and chaos during the February 19 by-poll in the NA 75 Daska constituency, with the majority accusing the PTI of what transpired that day. 

This was revealed in reports published by three separate public survey companies on Thursday.

IPSOS, Pulse Consultants, and Gallup used a sample size of 3,000 registered voters from the NA 75 constituency for their surveys, conducted between March 2-March 9, 2021.

IPSOS survey

The IPSOS survey disclosed that a significant 47% of the respondents held the PTI responsible for alleged rigging in the constituency, while 12% found fault with the PML-N’s conduct.

Read more: Code of conduct was breached during Daska by-polls, ECP tells Supreme Court

Meanwhile, as many as 3% held the people responsible, whereas, the other 3% held police and 2% blamed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for rigging in Daska by-polls.

Gallup survey

Similarly, the Gallup survey showed 32% of the respondents blamed PTI for rigging during elections, while 12% held the PML-N responsible.

Moreover, 1% held the PPP, another 1% held area officials and 1% held the entire political leadership responsible, whereas 3% found ECP responsible for the election day fracas.

Pulse Consultants

Pulse Consultants found 36% blaming the PTI, 24% PML-N, 9% police, 5% ECP, while 4% found the federal government and an equal 4% accused the provincial government of election day disturbances.

ECP’s re-polling decision

The decision of the ECP to hold re-polling in Daska found support in two out of the three surveys conducted.

According to Gallup Pakistan, 60% appreciated the decision of holding by-polls while 22% opposed the decision.

The IPSOS survey found 67% to be favouring the ECP decision and 14% strongly disagreeing with it.

Meanwhile, the Pulse Consultant survey found 40% opposing the holding of Daska by-polls once again, while 33% favoured the ECP order.