F.P. Report
KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party wrenched a landslide victory in the first phase of yesterday’s local government elections in 14 Sindh districts after winning on 2,189 seats, on Monday.
The JUI also fared well and finished as a runner up after bagging 64 seats. The Grand Democratic Alliance could win 43 seats but the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf showed a dismal performance and only 13 of its candidates returned successful.
The PPP made a clean sweep in Kandhkot where 15 of its candidates won on 16 wards of municipal committee.
In Tharparkar, too, the PPP contestants won elections in 20 union committees out of 32 union committees.
In Mirpurkhas, the PPP bagged 14 seats. In Shikarpur, PPP remained successful on 27 UCs. While in Umarkot, 8 of the PPP candidates remained successful.
Zardari congrats victorious PPP candidates, Jialas
PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his gratitude over the PPP’s win in the local government polls terming it a harbinger of decisive final victory of people.
He said that the PPP’s historic win reflected people’s confidence in the party’s leadership. He congratulated the winning PPP candidates and Jialas who worked hard for their victory.
Meanwhile, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon while congratulating the PPP over its landslide victory in the local government elections said that people rejected all the anti-Bhutto elements adding that the opposition parties were finding no place to run.
In his tweet on Monday, Memon wrote: “Congratulations PPP Family for the historical victory in Local Government Elections in Sindh. Especially Larkana badly rejected all the Anti-Bhutto elements. Opposition parties in Larkana have no place to run. Shukar Alhamdulillah. #TeerChalGaya
Unofficial results
With already 885 out of 946 representatives elected unopposed, the PPP was leading the elections, in which 21,000 candidates contested for 6,277 seats of 101 town committees, 23 municipal committees, 14 district councils, four municipal corporations, eleven town municipal corporations and 887 union councils and union committees.
However, the elections were marred by violence, firing, scuffles, kidnapping of polling staff, theft of election material and deaths of two people. All the opposition parties have rejected the polls.
Larkana
Munir Ahmed Soomro, elder brother of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s political secretary Jamil Ahmed Soomro and vice-chairman Abdul Haq Khaawar have won the LG elections of 13 polling stations of Union Committee-II Haideri Town, Larkana.
GDA wins 3 seats in Town Committee Dokri elections while PPP succeeded to get one seat.
As per the results of Ward 5, GDA’s Haji Abdul Hameed Jaisar, in Ward 1, GDA’s Saifullah Soomro, and in Ward 3, GDA’s Mihrab Khashkheli succeeded.
In Ward 4, PPP’s Fida Hussain Gadhi won while the election in Ward 2 has been postponed.
Pakistan People’s Party won from Municipal Committee Naudero in all 7 wards.
Khairpur
PPP won local bodies elections in 26 wards out of 29 wards of Khairpur city while two candidates of GDA and an independent candidate also succeeded to come on the victory stand. PPP leader Nafeesa Shah congratulated the party winners.
According to the unofficial result, Ward No. 8 of Town Committee Kot Diji, GDA candidate Mir Dunal Talpur won with 954 votes, while PPP candidate Syed Anwar Ali Shah came second with 348 votes.
Khairpur Municipal Committee Ward No. 15, PPP’s Ghulam Hussain Mughal won with 1304 votes and the independent candidate Mansoor Iqbal Sheikh came second with 408 votes.
Municipal Committee Ward 17, PPP candidate Asghar Sheikh won with 1149 votes, while independent candidate Majeed Sheikh came second with 356 votes.
Shikarpur
As per the UC 12 results, the PPP candidate for chairman Mian Abdul Manan has won the seat by getting 3399 votes. Independent candidate Tufail bagged only 1330 votes.
As per the Municipal Committee Ward 22 results, PPP’s Mumtaz Bhutto won by 897 votes against JUI’s Liaqat Saddiqui and independent candidate Fahim Memon. JUI candidate received only 507 votes and the independent candidate got 302 votes.
Qambar
As per the results of Town Committee Miru Khan Ward 4, PPP’s Hizbullah Gopang won 674 votes against the JUI-F candidate who received in a close contest 610 votes.
In Ward 2, PPP’s Liaqat Ali Abro won the seat with 835 votes against GDA’s Syed Riffat Ali Shah who obtained 681 votes.
In Ward 3, PPP’s Shahabuddin Bhatti came on victory stand by winning 556 votes against GDA’s Bashir Taniyo who received 419 votes.
In Ward 4, PPP’s Siraj Taniyo won by 600 votes against GDA’s Rab Nawaz who got 486 votes and an independent candidate Munawar Ali Mangi received 303 votes.
Punnu Aqil
As per the Municipal Committee Ward 1 result, PPP’s Saleem Kalor has won the election by obtaining 435 votes against JUI’s Abdul Jalil who received only 72 votes as a runner-up.
As per Ward 10 result, PPP’s Jamal Bhutto won by 309 votes against PTI’s Abdul Hameed who got 173 votes only as a runner-up.
As per Ward 16 result, PTI’s Shaukat Chachar Advocate won by 623 votes against PPP’s Aman Chachar who bagged 567 votes.
According to the unofficial results of Ward 6 of the Municipal Committee, JUI-F candidate Raja Ram won with 147 votes, while PPP candidate Abdul Jabbar Sheikh came second with 83 votes.
Nawabshah
As per the result of Union Council Chanaser, PPP candidate Anwar Chandio won by 971 votes against Sindh United Party’s female candidate Noor Fatima who received 156 votes.
As per the result of UC 6 Ward 12, PPP’s Asif Zia won by 331 votes against MQM’s Muhammad Arif who received only 159 votes.
As per town committee Ward 1 results, PPP’s Engineer Ghaffar Jatoi won by 535 votes against GDA’s Imran Mallah who got only 224 votes.
As per the result of Sakrand Ward 5, PPP’s candidate won elections by 754 votes against the PTI candidate who takes only 224 votes.
Deharki
As per Town Committee Ward 12 results, independent candidate Jam Abdul Fateh Samijo won 1179 votes against the PPP candidate Mian Manzoor 365 votes.
Ghotki
As per Ward 6 results, PPP’s Shehbaz Khan won 552 votes against the GDA candidate Nazar Khan Buzdar.
Kandhkot
As per Ward 6 result, PPP’s Aftab Jhakrani won by receiving 937 votes against JUI’s runner-up candidate Shabbir Koso who obtained only 635 votes.
As per Ward 10 results, PPP’s Ehsan Ahmad Malik won by 806 votes against JUI-F’s Shaukat Malik who received 486 votes only.
Sanghar
As per the unofficial results of Ward Number 6 in Sanghar, Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) candidate Murad Ali Nizamani has obtained 577 votes against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Shafiq Arain who just received 317 votes in the local bodies’ elections.
The PPP made a clean sweep in Birani and bagged all five wards of Birani Town Committee.
Mehrabpur
As per the Ward 3 result, Shehri Ittihad (Citizens Alliance) candidate Abid Arain won 491 votes against the PPP’s candidate who just bagged 179 votes.
Thal
As per Ward 10 result, PPP’s Zuhaib Sarki won by 1567 votes against JUI-F candidate Hamid Golo who just obtained 190 votes.
Sukkur
As per the results, out of 32 Union Committees of 3 Town Committees of Sukkur, 29 were won by PPP candidates and 3 by PTI candidates.
Kashmore
According to the unofficial results, independent candidate Mehrab Ali Mazari won with 37 votes, while Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Obaidullah remained a runner-up with 18 votes.
In Town Committee Guddu’s Ward 8, the Sindh United Party candidate won with 50 votes, followed by PPP candidate Zubair Ahmed who got 49 votes.
Shahdad Kot
According to the complete unofficial result of Municipal Committee Ward No. 3, PPP candidate Tariq Hussain Brohi won with 272 votes and the independent candidate Dilawar Khan Khoso came second with 147 votes.
Kandiaro
According to the unofficial and unconfirmed results of the polling station of Ward 11 of Town Committee Kandiaro, Akram Qureshi of PPP won with 650 votes and the JUI-F candidate Ataullah came second with 550 votes.
Naukot
According to the unofficial preliminary results of Town Committee Ward No. 6, independent candidate Irfan Khurshid won with 384 votes, while PPP’s Barkat Korai came second with 203 votes.
Jacobabad
According to the complete unofficial result of Municipal Committee Ward No. 04, PTI candidate Ghulam Hussain Imrani won with 388 votes, while PPP’s Noor Mohammad Dharpali came second with 380 votes.
Municipal Committee Ward No. 5, Ghous Bakhsh Maghri of PPP won with 1359 votes, while independent candidate Munawar Soomro secured second spot with 439 votes.
Municipal Committee Ward No. 16, PPP candidate Muhammad Asif Maghri won with 1354 votes, while TLP candidate came second with 282 votes.
Khipro
PPP took most of the seats in Khipro. PPP won in 13 out of 18 wards of Town Committee Khipro.
Moro
According to the complete unofficial results of Municipal Committee Ward No. 3, Jan Alam of PPP won with 630 votes.
Wara
According to the complete unofficial results of Town Committee Ward No. 10, independent candidate Oshaq Chandio won with 290 votes, while PPP candidate Bashir Ahmed Chandio came second with 270 votes.
Kunri
According to the complete unofficial preliminary results of Town Committee Ward No. 2, the PPP-backed candidate Sajid Aziz won with 853 votes, while the Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) candidate came second with 150 votes.
Town Committee Ward No. 7 Gharibabad, PPP-backed candidate Ghulam Hussain Dars won with 311 votes, while Tehreek-e-Libek candidate Noor Mohammad came second with 133 votes.
Polls marred by deadly violence
The polling process which was marred by deadly violence and mismanagement resulted in the death of two people, including PTI candidate’s brother in Sanghar.
During the poll clashes at different polling stations in the said districts, several people were injured in firing incidents while some polling staff were kidnapped and election material stolen from many polling stations.
At some polling stations, the process of vote casting was halted for a time being. However, PPP Senator Taj Haider appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to extend the polling time for two hours.
Granting the request, the ECP extended the polling time in areas where the polling process had to be stopped due to the violence that took place.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman Group (JUI-F) spokesman Aslam Ghori alleged the opponents for torturing their candidates and workers while the ECP did not play its role in the polls.
Expressing severe concerns over the incidents of violence in the province, MQM-P senior leader and former Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar demanded the ECP stop the ongoing election process immediately.
Referring to the misprinting in the ballot papers, the MQM-P leader raised questions about the performance of the ECP.
PTI’s senior leader Ali Haider Zaidi warned that the Sindh government and the ECP would be responsible if the situation worsened in the province.