Sindh all set for LG elections

Despite hectic efforts of all political parties to postpone local government elections to amend laws and empower local bodies, Sindh local body elections will held in two phases as per schedule. Daily Times learnt that all political parties including PPP wanted to postpone local bodies’ elections to make far-reaching changes prior to elections and approached the court against the ECP schedule for the elections. On Friday, Sindh High Court (SHC) rejected a petition filed by major political parties seeking delay in the local government elections in Sindh. The court has also directed ECP to hold the polls as per the schedule. The tenure of the local bodies expired in August 2020 and after a gap of two years, the election commission has announced the schedule for it at the behest of the court. As per notification from the election commission of Pakistan that the first phase of the local government polls will be held on June 26 in Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions, while the second phase is scheduled to start on July 24 in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Thatta. The first phase will cover 14 districts of Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions with elections due on June 26. As per the details 21,298 candidates are in the field for 6,277 seats of 101 town committees, 23 municipal committees, 14 district councils, four municipal corporations, 11 town municipal corporations and 887 union councils and Union committees, for which more than 25 million ballot papers had been printed. At least 946 candidates from 14 districts have been elected unopposed in the first phase. Data issued by the ECP shows that a total of 96 candidates from Kashmore Kandhkot, 70 from Qambar Shahdadkot, 135 from Jacobabad, 94 from Shikarpur, and 11 from Larkana, 65 from Mirpur Khas and 65 candidates from Umerkot have been elected unopposed. Moreover, 18 candidates from Tharparkar, 34 from Sukkur, 48 from Ghotki, 67 from Khairpur, 105 from Shaheed Benazirabad, and 48 from Noshero Feroz and 87 candidates from Sanghar have been elected unopposed. Among the 946; 135 have been elected as Chairman, and Vice-Chairman, while the election will be contested on the remaining 752 Chairman and Vice-Chairman Seats. While 107 out of 794 district council seats have been filled unopposed, the remaining will be decided via elections while 622 seats out of a total of 3548 general ward counselors have been filled unopposed. It was informed during a meeting that there would be around 8,724 polling stations in all the 14 districts of which 1,985 have been declared as most sensitive, 3,448 sensitive and 3,291 normal. In the first phase 37,189 police personnel would be deployed at around 8,724 polling stations during the local bodies’ elections being held in 14 districts of four divisions on June 26. “As many as 26,545 policemen would be deployed at the polling stations in the light of their sensitivity. Around 9,925 policemen would be on duty at 1,985 most sensitive polling stations, 10,344 at sensitive polling stations, and 6,276 at 3,291 normal polling stations,” IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memon said On other hand, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed Sindh police to demonstrate zero tolerance while maintaining law and order during local bodies (LB) elections to be held in 14 districts of four divisions on June 26. In the second phase, local bodies’ elections will be held in Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta divisions. July 24 has been set as the polling day. According to the data obtained from ECP sources, in second phase 35,208 candidates are contesting for 5143 local body seats of different categories out of which more than 500 were elected unopposed, most of them are from PPP and MQM Pakistan while nomination papers of more than 2,000 were rejected and currently more than 32,000 candidates vying for the seats. The date for the allotment of symbols to contesting candidates will be June 29 while the elections will be held on July 24 and results will be consolidated by July 28 Karachi has been divided into seven districts, where 17,071 candidates filed papers for 1,476 seats of 246 Union Committees, 7,106 candidates for 492 seats of Chairman and Vice Chairman and 9,965 candidates for 984 seats of Ward Councilors. The largest district of Karachi is Central District from where 3763 candidates are in the field for 45 Union Councils and 180 wards. The second largest district is District East from where 3235 c\andidates are in the run for 43 Union Councils and 172 wards. From District Korangi 2099 candidates are in the battle for 37 Union Councils and 148 wards. From District West 2330 candidates are participating for 33 Union Councils and 132 wards. From District Keemari 1953 candidates for 32 union Councils and 128 wards, from District Malir 1884 candidates for 30 Union Councils and 120 wards, while from District south 1807 candidates for 26 union Councils and 104 wards. During the survey Daily Times learnt that central district and Korangi have strong hold of MQM-P while half of district East and some parts of West and South are in favor of MQM Pakistan, in these districts Muhajir community is living in majority. After dividing into different factions MQM has lost its grip in the vicinity while Jamat-e-Islami, PTI, PPP and PML-N have also some roots in these districts. As far as District Malir and Keemari are concerned, PPP has demarcated these districts in such a way that it is not possible for any other party to get vote. Even though, all the political parties have serious reservations over the delimitation of the constituencies. “The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) using the state machinery has made the constituencies in its favor. In Karachi and Hyderabad, a local body constituency displays a huge population against the constituency in Sindh’s rural areas”, said MQM-P legislator Mohammad Hussain. Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) General Secretary Sardar Rahim said that they have already worked on forming alliances with local independent groups and political parties against PPP. PTI leaders accused the PPP of using its “influence and corrupt practices” to restrain opponents by threatening the workers of other parties to withdraw in favor of ruling party candidates in violation of Election Act 2017 and Representation of the People Act, 1976. Sindh Minister for Labour and Human Resources Saeed Ghani said that PPP will get the maximum number of seats in local body elections and elect its own mayor in Karachi.