MQM-P scales back Hyd LG polls contest
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which dominated the electoral landscape of Hyderabad for over the last three decades, has apparently accepted defeat in the upcoming local government elections slated for July 24.
The party has fielded candidates on only 86 seats of Union Committee chairman and vice chairman of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) which consists of 160 Union Committees (UCs).
MQM-P candidates will be pitted against their counterparts from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which has already bagged 18 seats of chairman and vice chairman unopposed.
The party that held sway over the urban areas of Sindh now faces new adversaries in shape of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan besides other parties and independent candidates. The uncontested victories of the PPP reflect the party's stronger position in the HMC as its local leaders emphasise that they will elect their mayor.
There are 160 seats of chairman and vice chairman as well as 640 seats of general members of the wards of HMC up for grabs. The party securing the highest number of chairmen will elect its mayor. The HMC is further divided into nine Town Municipal Corporations (TMCs).
As per the statistics of forms VIII shared by the Regional Election Commissioner Ali Abdullah Jan for 152 UCs out of 160 UCs, the PTI has fielded its candidates on 102 UCs and the PPP on 145. However, the local leaders of both the parties claim that their representatives will be contesting a majority of the seats of UC chairman and vice chairman.
The MQM-P's candidates will be contesting in seven UCs out of 18 in TMC Nerunkot, 17 out of 19 in TMC Mian Sarfaraz and in all the 18 UCs in TMC Paretabad. These three TMCs are mostly based in City taluka but they also cover several parts of Hyderabad Rural taluka.
Similarly, in Latifabad taluka based TMC Sachal Sarmast the MQM-P's LG candidates have landed in the electoral fray in 14 out of 18 UCs and on all the seats of 18 UCS in TMC Shah Latifabad. For the seats of chairmen and vice chairmen in TMC Hussainabad, the party has positioned candidates in eight out of 18 UCs. This TMC covers parts of Latifabad taluka and Qasimabad taluka.
No candidate of the MQM-P is standing on any seat of the chairman and vice chairman in TMC Qasimabad. Meanwhile, in Hyderabad Rural taluka the party is taking part in only two UCs each in TMC Tando Jam and TMC Tando Fazal. The former TMC consists of 16 UCs and the latter 17 UCs.
"We are discussing with many candidates for supporting them in different UCs," MQM-P's MPA Rashid Khilji told The Express Tribune, suggesting that if those candidates won the polls they would support his party in the HMC. However, according to him, it is early to declare the number of such candidates who were likely to receive MQM-P's support.
The MPA reiterated that despite their deep reservations against the demarcation and subsequent delimitation of the LG constituencies, they are taking part in the polls. "We won't let the PPP get a walkover," he asserted.
The MQM-P has already filed separate petitions against the Sindh LG Act and the renewed delimitation of the HMC which has been spread from City and Latifabad talukas to cover the entire Hyderabad district with its all four talukas. "We have been opposing the merger of the rural areas in the urban areas of Hyderabad," said Khilji, claiming that their objection was not even heard during the process of delimitation.
When asked why the party has fielded candidates for the seats of chairmen and vice chairmen in only 86 constituencies, he said the party's structure does not exist in many UCs whose boundaries have been gerrymandered.
Over 15% of the LG seats have already been won unopposed mainly by the PPP's candidates. These include 18 seats of chairmen and vice chairmen and 105 of the general members. The unopposed chairman and vice chairman have been elected uncontested from the UC numbers 13, 18, 55, 56, 57, 77, 80, 81, 96, 145, 147, 152, 154, 155, 156, 158, 159 and 160.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2022.