Rawalpindi LG elections: PML-N all set to elect mayor

According to unofficial results, the ruling party has won 55 UC seats in district

RAWALPINDI:

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) looks set to grab the top slots including mayorship of Rawalpindi District Council after winning 55 union council (UC) seats out of 120 seats.

According to unofficial results gathered from the office the district election commission and returning officers, the PML-N has emerged as the single largest party in the district and is eyeing the slot of district chairman, for which it will require 61 votes of elected UC chairmen.



Though the party has not formally announced the name of a candidate for mayor, all eyes are on Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who will propose a name for the top position.

The district council will have representation from Rawalpindi city, Taxila, Murree, Kotli Sattian, Kahuta, Kallar Syedan and Gujar Khan.

The results of the local government elections show the dominance of the PML-N in rural areas, where the highest number of UCs are.

Rural areas of Rawalpindi tehsil fall under two national assembly constituencies — NA-52 and NA-53, which are held by Chaudhry Nisar and PTI’s Ghulam Sarwar Khan respectively. The results further show that as many as 41 independents have also won UC chairman seats in the district. Political experts say that the independents will likely joining the PML-N in the hopes of getting more influential roles in the district counsel.

The PTI, which could win only 13 UC seats, showed better results in areas falling within NA-53.

The results also show the abysmal performance of the Pakistan People’s Party, which could win only one UC seat in the whole district.



Political pundits were expecting the PPP to clinch at least a few seats in rural Gujar Khan, since former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was leading the election campaign in the area.

Polls in 10 UCs of the district could not be held due to various reasons including pending court cases and the deaths of candidates.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2015.