Delimitation: LG polls postponed in Kotli Sattian

KOTLI SATTIAN: Local government elections could not be held in most of the Kotli Sattian tehsil of Rawalpindi District after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s new delimitation was challenged in the high court.

According to the election commission’s new demarcation, the number of union councils was reduced from 10 to six.

The Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench, on October 8, set aside the delimitation of union councils after locals took the matter to the court. The court had ordered the ECP to carry out the delimitation process afresh and announce a new schedule for the local government elections for the union councils in question.

The ECP, however, challenged the high court’s order in the Supreme Court on November 23.

Due to pending court cases, the polls could not be held in the tehsil and some union councils of Murree as well on December 5.

However, polling was held for 14 wards of the Kotli Sattian Municipal Committee on Saturday. The ruling PML-N won nine of the seats. Independent candidates bagged the rest. PPP had fielded no candidate in any of the 14 wards.



The polling took place in a smooth and peaceful manner with a voter turnout higher than that in the 2013 general elections.

In total, local government elections could not be held in 18 union councils in Rawalpindi, due to court orders in 16 and death of candidates in two. Apart from this, seven wards of municipal committees were also left out of the polling process.

District Election Commissioner Muhammad Nadeem Zubair has requested the ECP to conduct by-elections in 18 UCs and seven wards of municipal committees in the district.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th,  2015.

PML-N wins nine out of 14 wards of municipal body