Local governance: Four injured in clashes during Sanghar LG polls

Elections held for 23-ward municipal committee of Tando Adam, two UCs

HYDERABAD: Four persons were injured in clashes outside a polling station in Sanghar where the local government elections were held on Thursday for 23 wards of a municipal committee and two union councils.

The workers, who clashed  outside a polling station in ward nine, resorted to aerial firing and injured Javed Malik, Atif Malik and Hamid Malik, who were hit with sticks. In another quarrel in ward 14, where candidate Abdul Ghori boycotted the election, Ghori's son was injured.

Some 2,200 policemen from Sanghar and other districts, in addition to 200 Rangers personnel were deployed.

Sanghar did not go to polls earlier with the rest of the region due to security fears. The elections were finally held on January 23 but the 23-ward municipal committee of Tando Adam and two union councils (UCs) were unable to participate due to issues with their boundaries.

In the electoral fight on Thursday, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was pitted against a local electoral alliance consisting Pakistan Muslim League (PML)-Functional, PPP's main rival in Sanghar. The PML-Nawaz, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Jamaat-e-Islami and nationalist parties were also part of the 'Shehri Ittehad'.

Around 70,933 people were registered to vote in Tando Adam's MC, for which 57 polling stations were set up. A total of 9,437 people were registered to vote in Harbari UC and 6,551 people in Gajro UC. In the two UCs, 15 polling stations were formed. Turnout was at between 35 to 40% .

According to initial results from nine out of 23 wards, PPP led with seven seats while the alliance grabbed two.

Sanghar comprises a district council, three MCs and 11 town committees. On January 23, PPP had bagged 43 of 71 seats of district council members, and will elect the district council chairman, while the PML-F won 26 to form a comfortable opposition.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2016.