830 candidates elected unopposed in 16 districts of two divisions, including seven in Karachi, and 823 in the Hyderabad division. The vote-count underway as polling ended for the second phase of local government elections in the 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad, Aaj News reported on Sunday. Polling began at 8 am and continued till 5 pm without any interruption.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Zaidi demanded a two-hour extension in polling time across the metropolis, claiming that polling in majority polling stations started by 12 pm due to the non-availability of election staff.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the claim, saying the polling across the province would end at 5 pm. It, however, said that voting time will be increased in “some” polling stations where the polling began after the scheduled time.
A total of 8857 polling stations were set up by ECP for the second phase of LG polls while 17863 candidates are contesting the polls.
Around 8,153 of the polling stations were declared ‘sensitive’ or ‘highly sensitive’.
A total of 830 candidates were elected unopposed in 16 districts of two divisions, including seven in Karachi, and 823 in the Hyderabad division.
All educational institutions in Karachi and Hyderabad remained closed on Saturday in connection with the preparations for the local bodies’ elections.
“The public and private institutions under the Administration of School Education and Literacy Department of respective districts remained closed on Saturday,” a notification issued by the School Education and Literacy Department said.
Meanwhile, in a tweet, PTI Chief Imran Khan urged people to come out and vote for their representatives. “Their vote today is essential if they want to change their lives,” he added.
The ECP on Friday rejected the Sindh government’s ruling to further postpone the polls and announced that local government (LG) elections in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Dadu would take place on January 15.
The provincial government’s order was rejected on basis of legal and constitutional principles. “Local government polls in Karachi and the rest of Sindh will be held as per the schedule,” said CEC. “Army and Rangers officials should be posted at high-risk polling stations for security purposes.”
MQM-P boycotts Karachi, Hyderabad LG polls
After a day-long consultation, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday night announced that it would boycott the local government (LG) elections scheduled to take place today (January 15) in three divisions of Sindh, including Karachi and Hyderabad.
