Karachi turns out in large numbers to vote for its LG setup

Voters of all ages thronged to polling stations

KARACHI:

Excited by the prospects of voting for a local government setup after almost a decade, the people of Karachi turned out to vote in large numbers.

The high spirits were not even daunted by reports of skirmishes in Landhi, where activists of rival parties clashed on several occasions.

Korangi

Even areas such as Korangi, that have seen their fair share of violence in the past, managed to attract over half the registered voters to the polling stations. According to an official at Allama Iqbal Government Girls College, which served as a polling station for UC-10, at least 1,500 votes were cast on Saturday out of total of 2,500. Almost similar figures were reported from other polling stations in the district.



Though the polling got off to a lazy start, the numbers surged at around noon. “It’s a holiday so most people chose to wake up late,” said 30-year-old Faizan Ahmed.

Among the four subdivisions — Shah Faisal Town, Model Town, Landhi Town and Korangi Town — Landhi remained the most vulnerable. The people stood firm even in the face of threats of violence. At a polling station near which a firing incident had occurred moments ago, an elderly woman, struggled to make her way to the polling station. “I wish that whoever wins is human, not an animal that we see around us,” prayed Sualeha Khatoon, 70.

West

In district West, candidates openly violated the election commission’s code of conduct by displaying life-sized banners as well as provided free pick and drop services to voters.

At the Jackson School polling station in UC-43, voting was suspended for half-an-hour after an independent candidate tried to get a mentally-challenged man’s vote cast in his favour. Apart from a few minor complaints from political parties regarding the late arrival of polling staff, the situation remained largely peaceful.

East

Polling started on time in District East, which saw over half of the registered voters making their way to the polling stations at different times during the day. Near alAzhar Gardens, Irfan Ali zipped thorough the streets on his Qingqi, the speakers blaring songs of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). “I am bringing all the voters to the polling station free of charge,” he said, adding that the PPP candidate paid for fuel.



Central

Scores of excited voters, particularly women, thronged polling stations across the district, where the overall turnout cumulated to around 80 per cent by the time polling finished.

Representatives of political parties, presiding officers and voters expressed satisfaction with the arrangements. In District Central too, transport services were provided by political parties as well as independent candidates.

Malir

“I have seen three LG elections and they were all very different from today’s,” said Rafique Mallah, a fisherman. “In the past, the candidates and their agents would drag voters to polling stations but today, most people have not even gone fishing. They preferred to cast their votes.” Overall, no untoward incident was reported from District Malir.

South

Perhaps the lowest turnout was seen in District South. “We were expecting long queues but that certainly hasn’t been the case here,” said the presiding officer at a government college.

In Lyari, the turnout stood at almost 50 per cent. Voters complained that the polling staff was untrained, while the staff claimed voters were not cooperating. Several people left the polling stations after standing in long queues for several hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2015.