PPP’s lead clear in LG polls

KARACHI:

PPP won 4,517 seats for union councils, union committee chairmen, vice chairmen. district councils, municipal committees, and town committees in the first phase of local body elections in 14 districts of Sindh.

Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) won 724 seats, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) 144, Jamiat-ulema-eIslam (JUI) 169, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) 40, Jamaat-eIslami five, Tehreek-eLabbaik Pakistan (TLP) two and PPP Shaheed Bhutto two, while Islamic Movement of Pakistan and PSP won one seat each.

UC chairman, vice-chairman

As per unofficial results, PPP candidates won 668 seats for the chairman and vice-chairman of the union committee and union council of 14 districts.

GDA won 90 seats for chairman and vice-chairman of the union committee and union council of 14 districts and is currently the second-largest party in terms of local bodies. PTI and JUI-F won 12, MQM-P three and PML-N one seat, respectively.

Independent candidates won 61 seats for chairman and vice-chairman of the union committee and union council of 14 districts.

A total of 887 candidates were elected for the post of chairmen and vice-chairmen.

As per ECP directives, repolling will be held on 14 seats chairman and vicechairman of the union committee and union councils.

District council members

As per results, of 794 seats of district council members, PPP candidates bagged 622 and GDA 89.

PTI won 10 seats of district council members, JUI eight, one by the Sindh United Party, and 55 by independents. Results for nine seats were withheld due to orders to conduct re-polling.

Similarly, PPP won 3,207 seats out of a 4,596 total seats for ward members, followed by GDA 545, JUI 130, PTI 122, PTI 37, MQM-P 37, Sindh United Party 12, and PML-N nine and a PSP candidate also won one seat.

At the same time, 422 independent candidates won, and votes remained equal in six seats. As per ECP orders re-polling will be held on 43 seats.

ECP

Sindh Election Commissioner Ijaz Anwar Chauhan said on Friday that it was unfair to hold the ECP responsible for every untoward incident.

"The first phase of local body elections went off smoothly and ended without major incident."

He was addressing a press conference at the ECP office on Friday. He added there had been a few violent incidents, which were unfortunate, but the situation had improved significantly compared to 2015.

"During the second round of elections, there will be a dire need of army and Rangers to ensure a peaceful outcome. We acknowledge the shortcomings, but it is not right to hold the ECP responsible for every issue."