LB polls checkmate

There is something seriously wrong in the body politick of electioneering. Every polling event is marred with violence and institutional discrepancy, and comes at the cost of degeneration in the very concept of electoral mandate. People are now almost fed up of these maneuvered exercises in the name of ballot, and their taking a backseat is squarely evident in the form of their weak participation at polls. The Local Bodies voting on Sunday just proved beyond doubt that the decorum is not ripe for holding transparent and peaceful elections, and there is a lot that needs to be done to ensure sanctity of vote. Two deaths and province-wide vandalism as 14 districts of Sindh went to local tier polls is regrettable. Moreover, the disenfranchisement among political parties across the board against the alleged highhandedness of the PPP at the behest of the Sindh government demands some serious introspection.

The ruling PPP has bagged a lion’s share at the local dispensation, as many of its nominees had returned unopposed. The first phase of elections unfortunately was consumed by fireworks and bloodshed. Contesting candidates were seen up in arms against the Election Commission, as they openly accused it of favouritism. Incidents of kidnapping of polling staff by armed bandits, rigging and assault on election camps posed grave questions on the competence of local administration, the ECP and Sindh government. They simply failed to dispense their responsibilities as per law.

As many as 21,000 candidates contested for 6,277 seats of 101 town committees, 23 municipal committees, 14 district councils, four municipal corporations, 11 town municipal corporations and 887 union councils and union committees. This mega exercise, nonetheless, lacked a choreographic sense of activity on the part of opposition parties, as the PPP, well-entrenched in Sindh, apparently took them for a ride and stole the show. Political groups, thus, are crying foul at the absence of institutional fair-play. This chaotic drill on Sunday, however, has lessons for the second phase of LB polls in Hyderabad and Karachi. As the twin-cities are home to urban-rural divide and a polarised vote bank, much caution is needed to avoid a repeat of lawlessness and engineered rigging. The checkmate is too horrific.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2022.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.