Monday’s local government (LG) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions of Sindh province, held after much ado, have thrown up a fractured mandate that has opened the floodgates of bargaining for the political parties to grab the coveted positions in the two metropolitan cities. The electoral mandate has been visibly divided among three mainstream political parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party, the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, who, on the one hand, are claiming victory in the race and, on the other hand, the JI and the PTI are also levelling allegations of large-scale rigging and fraud, calling into question the entire exercise. The second phase of the LG polls was held in seven districts of Karachi division and nine districts of Hyderabad division.
The second phase of LG polls was made more conspicuous by the boycott of Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan, which left the field open to other political parties. The low turnout in the urban localities is also being attributed to the MQM’s boycott. The first round of the election was held in 15 districts of the province in June last year. According to the first round result, the PPP won 225 seats in the municipal committee, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) bagged 18 seats, PTI grabbed 14 seats, while 19 independents also won their seats. According to initial observation by Sindh’s provincial election commissioner Aijaz Anwar Chohan, the turnout in nine districts of the Hyderabad division could be between 15 and 20 per cent in urban centers with the turnout dropping in the rural areas.
In Karachi division, according to statistics of the election officials, the PPP has won 91 seats closely followed by the Jamaat-i-Islami with 88 seats, while the PTI lagged far behind with 40 seats, while rest of the seats went to JUI (F), TLP and independents. The result has set in motion the political parties to install their own mayor of the metropolitan city. In Hyderabad division, at least 26 candidates of PPP have already returned unopposed, while the seats of chairman, vice chairman and general councillors were up for grabs in 134 union committees of the division. It goes without saying that the LG polls’ second phase in Sindh, which was originally scheduled for July 24, 2022, but was delayed for reasons of possible rains and bad weather in the province, has brought up big surprises to many political pundits. The expected rains and flashfloods struck the province in August and September, which devastated the countryside.
Quite unexpectedly and in contrast to the voting pattern of the general election of 2018, the PTI suffered a major setback in the local government elections, whereas MQM-P did not take part in the process citing reservations over the delimitation process. The PTI, JI and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) are on the same page in questioning the authenticity of the results. Rigging allegations against the ruling party PPP can mar the installation of mayors in Karachi and Hyderabad. As things stand, the political parties need to avoid head-on-collision and strike a balance in the political bargaining for the ultimate betterment of the electorates who have been increasingly suffering from the growing cost of living. Or else, the entire exercise would prove futile.
