PPP wins four out of eight seats in HMC

Four out of eight seats of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) were won by candidates of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the local government by elections held on May 7.

Provisional results shared by District Election Commissioner Yousuf Majeedano on Monday indicated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won two seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and independent candidates each secured one seat.

The polling took place on five seats of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Union Committees (UCs) of HMC, as well as on five wards of the UCs. However, the voting process was interrupted due to a heated situation between PPP and PTI workers and alleged ballot paper snatching on UC-119, where the seats of chairman, vice-chairman, and a ward councillor were being contested.

Provisional results of four UCs and as many wards showed that PPP's candidates won the seats of chairmen and vice-chairmen in UC-5 in Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) Nerunkot and UC-137 in TMC Hussainabad. The PTI's candidates secured UC-118 in TMC Shah Latifabad. However, independent candidates won the seats of chairman and vice-chairman in TMC Nerunkot's UC-17, defeating PPP's candidates Muhammad Usman Malik and Dildar Magsi.

Moreover, the PPP's candidates were elected as the general members of ward number two of UC-58 and ward number one of UC-94, while PTI and JI secured the seats of general members in ward number three of UC-89 and ward number two of UC-30, respectively.

The presiding officer of polling station number six of UC-119 of TMC Shah Latifabad filed an FIR at B-Section police station, accusing 100 to 150 unknown individuals of ransacking the polling station.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2023.