In the 16 districts of Hyderabad and Karachi, voting for the second round of the LG election has already begun, Voting started at 8 am and will go on uninterruptedly until 5 pm.
For the second round of the LG elections, ECP has set up a total of 8857 voting places, and there will be 17863 candidates running for office.
A total of 8,153 polling places have been designated as “sensitive” or “very sensitive.”
In total, 830 candidates—including 7 in Karachi and 823 in the Hyderabad division—were elected without opposition in 16 districts across two divisions.
Due to the preparations for the local body elections, all educational institutions in Hyderabad and Karachi were closed on Saturday.
According to a letter from the School Education and Literacy Department, “the public and private institutions under the Administration of School Education and Literacy Department in respective districts were closed on Saturday.”
Local government (LG) elections will be held in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Dadu on January 15, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which on Friday rejected the Sindh government’s decision to further delay the elections.
The order from the provincial government was denied based on legal and constitutional standards. Elections for the local government in Karachi and the rest of Sindh will be held on schedule, according to CEC. “For security reasons, Army and Rangers personnel should be posted at high-risk polling places.”
MQM-P abstains from Karachi and Hyderabad LG surveys
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) declared on Saturday night that it would boycott the local government (LG) elections set for today (January 15) in three divisions of Sindh, including Karachi and Hyderabad, following a day of consultation.
Beforehand, Bilawal gave the MQM-P some last-minute counsel. This was amid rumors that the party may leave the coalition government or perhaps boycott the polls. The reason behind this counsel was the uncertainty of the MQM-P’s participation in the upcoming events.
In an interview with a private TV network, he described the MQM-P as a “very old and senior” political organization and encouraged it to “fully participate” in the LG elections. He also stressed the significance of the elections for enabling political parties to collaborate on the growth of the Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.
Sindh LG elections’ second round
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) changed the date of the second phase of the Sindh LG elections. The original date was July 24 but it was changed to August 28 due to “potential rains and severe weather” in Sindh. This was the reason cited for the change of date.
Due to heavy rainfall and the potential for urban flooding, the ECP again postponed the election on August 24. They declared that the election will take place on October 23. This was the new date that was set for the election.
On October 18, the Sindh government asked the ECP to postpone the elections once more. They claimed that they were having trouble providing security since they were short 16,000 police officers. This was the reason they gave for the request to postpone the election.
On November 16, federal and Sindh governments denied ECP support for LG polls in 16 districts. The reason cited was ECP’s pending judgment on case of delayed LG polls in those divisions. Refused to provide support until a decision was reached.
Interior Ministry informed ECP of the unavailability of military & paramilitary for LG polls duties. The reason cited was their prior engagements across the nation. Unable to fulfill duties.
The Sindh government denied police protection for LG polls due to flood relief efforts. Citing the involvement of the Sindh police as the reason. A necessary number of officers was not provided.