PPP inches closer to securing Karachi mayor seat after LG by-polls success

KARACHI: Pakistan People Party (PPP) Monday celebrated its overwhelming victory in Karachi after claiming victory in the local government by-elections in the port city.

The party's overall position has strengthened and brought it closer to the mayor's seat, as it clinched 98 union council constituencies after the unofficial and unconfirmed results of the by-polls — held a day earlier — were announced.

So far, results for 240 seats have been announced out of the total 246 across Karachi, as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has withheld results of the remaining six including five from district west and one from district east.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is at the second spot and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is on third with 89 and 42 seats in the provincial capital, respectively.

Other parties that secured seats in Sindh in the local body elections include Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with seven seats and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) two, while one seat each went to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and an independent candidate.

Following his party's victory, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed gratitude for the party's success in the by-elections terming it a "historical achievement".

Taking to its Twitter account, the party shared Bilawal's message after the win.

"From Karachi to Kashmore, people have once again reposed their faith in the PPP. It is a historical achievement that all the district chairmen, including Karachi and Hyderabad, will be jiyalas (PPP supporters)," the PPP chairman said.

He added that the success is the result of people's trust, sacrifices of parties martyred leaders and workers as well as the hard work of supporters.

Bilawal said that responsibilities of his party's supporters have increased, as its motto is now to serve people without discrimination is our motto.

He has directed union council chairmen and councilors to include every street and neighbourhood of the province as part of the development process.

"Elected representatives of the party should remember that in every street there is a Shaheed Benazir Bhutto's house and every neighborhood belongs to the leader of the people [PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto]," he said.

The PPP chairman said that the homes of every ordinary Pakistani is as dear to him as the Bilawal House. He has asked his party's supporters prepare setting the standard to serve people.

Snapshot of Sindh

According to The News, out of 15 general members seats where by-polls were also held in different wards of the city, seven were won by the PPP candidates, five by JI candidates, two by PTI, and one by a PML-N candidate, as per the unofficial results available till the filing of this report.

The LG elections were held on 63 local bodies seats in five divisions of Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Ghotki, and Khairpur amid reports of a few incidents of violence. 

The polling for the by-elections began at 8am and continued until 5pm without a break. According to the police, the situation in New Karachi’s Rasheedabad UC-13 Ward 1, Bihar Colony and UC-2 was normal following minor incidents.

In the case of Karachi, a JI candidate secured victory in the UC No 6 of North Nazimabad in District Central. Its candidate Faisal Naseem secured 4,055 votes. The runner-up candidate of the PPP, Abid Shahid, secured 1,169 votes. The PTI’s candidate Muhammad Aameen secured third position with 1,027 votes.

In UC-2 Orangi District West in Karachi, Noorul Islam of JI secured victory with 4,778 votes. PPP’s candidate Muhammad Aleem remained the runner-up with 3,571 votes. In UC-1 of Orangi in District West, Muhammad Amir of PPP secured victory with 2,935 votes. PTI’s candidate Shakeel Ahmed remained the runner-up with 2,925 votes. In UC-8 Mominabad of District West, PPP’s candidate Arshad Khan secured victory with 2,664 votes. PTI’s Shair Hussain stood second by securing 1,380 votes. In UC-8 Landhi in District Korangi, Muhammad Ayub Abbasi of JI stood first with 1,695 votes while Asim Khan of PTI stood second with 826 votes.

Following trouble in Karachi's Bihar Colony area, Sindh PTI's Member Provincial Assembly Abdur Rasheed staged a protest.

“I was [verbally] abused at the gate when I came out of the polling station. I had gone inside the polling station after showing my card and handing over my mobile phone to the officials,” he said.

Besides Karachi, by-elections were also held on some seats of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Ghotki, and Khairpur. The polls could not be held on these seats, earlier, as due to multiple reasons, including the death of some candidates. 

The ECP established 147 polling stations in 17 districts for the by-polls where Sindh Police personnel were deployed for security duties.

The PPP bagged two out of the five LG seats in Hyderabad as per the unofficial and unconfirmed results. PTI and an independent candidate won one seat each in the city. The result of one UC was to be announced.

In Hyderabad, elections were held in 17 districts of the four divisions for a total number of 38 seats of chairmen and vice-chairmen, district council and general members. In the Sukkur Division, voters exercised their right to vote to elect one chairman and vice chairman and one general member, one UC chairman and vice chairman and one general member in the Ghotki district and two general members in the Khairpur district.

In the Nawabshah Division, a by-election was held for one seat of chairman and vice-chairman of UC Naushahro Feroze, one seat of general member in Shaheed Benazirabad and one seat of general member in Sanghar. Also in the Larkana Division, elections were held for one general member each in Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Kashmore districts.

JI and PPP hurl accusations against each other 

Speaking at an urgently called press conference late on Sunday night, PPP Karachi President Saeed Ghani also said the People’s Party’s candidates had secured success in the by-polls in five union committees in Karachi. He alleged that JI had spent donations collected on religious grounds to run its election campaign.

He said the PPP’s candidates had secured a victory on the basis of the Sindh government’s public service to develop Karachi. Ghani advised JI to accept the election results instead of rendering the election process controversial. He alleged that its supporters had been involved in thrashing and injuring PPP activists during the by-polls. Ghani said the next mayor of Karachi would belong to the PPP.

Addressing a press conference, Karachi JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman claimed that his party had won eight of the 11 union committees (UCs) of Karachi in the by-polls with a comfortable margin, but the state machinery was being brazenly used to change the results in favour of the PPP.

He said the JI would not accept forged results and put up resistance against the theft of its mandate. He said the PPP mobs attacked his party's camps, opened fire and manhandled party workers, adding at least seven JI workers were hospitalised in injured condition.

The polling officers at a school in ward one of UC 13, New Karachi Town, sealed ballot boxes before time and without showing them to polling agents, the JI leader alleged, adding that the same saga was repeated in another school of the same UC, whereas the PPP workers were found working there.

He accused Presiding Officer Khurrum Lakhu of connived with police officials at UC 13 of New Karachi Town to deny entry to JI polling agents. Presiding Officer Kamran Raza at a school in the same UC, facilitated the PPP goons in casting bogus votes despite protests, he charged.

Rehman said that at polling station number 38, the presiding officer was Zaffar Muawia, in place of the ECP appointee Muhammad Shahid. In UC 6 of North Nazimabad, ballot papers were issued without signatures and stamps at polling station number 30, he said. PPP leader Shahzaib Satti and others attacked the JI’s camp in UC 3 of the same town but no action was taken.