The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released the results for the local government polls in Karachi.
The second phase of the long-awaited polls took place on Sunday in 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad divisions. It began 8am and continued till 5pm without any break.
Official results showed that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have bagged the most seats so far in both cities.
PPP ‘wins’ Karachi LG polls
The ECP has released results of all 246 union councils of Karachi (minus 11 seats where polls were postponed due to death of candidates).
Of these, the PPP bagged the most seats with 93.
- Jamaat-e- Islami (JI) is second with 86 seats
- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has secured 40 seats
- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) could win only seven seats
- Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) have secured three seats
- Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) could win two seats
- Independents won three seats as well
- The MQM-H has also secured a seat
Final party position
Based on the number of seats they had won, the reserved seats allocated to each party formed their final party position in the house of 367 Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
PPP has bagged 142 seats, JI has 133 seats and PTI 60 seats.
Results from elsewhere
The PPP has secured 44 seats in Hyderabad, 81 in Badin, 59 in Jamshoro, 21 in Tando Mohammad Khan, 61 in Dadu, 35 in Matyari, 62 in Sajawal and 63 in Thatta.
However, PPP has lost the chairman and vice chairman seats to JI’s candidates in Gulshan-i-Hadeed’s UC-4.
Results have yet to come in from most districts in Karachi Division. As per reports, polling agents have not received Forms 11 and 12 from presiding officers, whereas reporters have complained of being barred from covering the vote-counting process.
Although the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) boycotted polls at the eleventh hour, Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the voter turnout was “fine”.
Extended delay in Karachi LG polls results raises doubts among contestants
However, over the delay of the result, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced a sit-in protest in Karachi.
Jamaat-e-Islami’s chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman stated that the presiding officers were bound to give Forms 11 and 12 as per law but some Deputy Commissioners working in favour of the PPP-led Sindh government were interfering in the process.
He said that his party had not been provided with the forms even after 10 pm.
“If the forms are not provided in the next one hour and the ROs do not announce the results, there will be sit-ins across the city,” he warned, adding that the party would announce its strategy after consultation.
Meanwhile, PPP leaders demanded ECP to announce the result as soon as possible saying that voting took place peacefully now the result should not be controversial.
ECP takes notice
The ECP took notice of the complaints of political parties regarding the delay in the results and directed the polling agents to provide forms 11 and 12.
“Due to a large number of wards, the results are getting delayed, the UC results cannot be declared until the complete result of each ward does not come out,” said Aijaz Anwar Chauhan, the provincial commissioner.