Reserved seats to put PPP headcount in Sindh PA at 109

MQM-P takes back mandate lost in 2018; TLP, GDA ousted from Sindh’s parliamentary politics

KARACHI:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has won 84 general seats in the Sindh Assembly and after the distribution of reserved seats for the minorities and women it will have 109 members in the house of 168 seats.

While PPP is poised to form the Sindh government for the fourth consecutive term, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) after winning 28 provincial assembly seats, took back most of its mandate.

The Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) which rose to prominence in 2018 elections as a formidable force was ousted from the parliamentary politics of Sindh.

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) seats increased from one to two. As many as 13 independent candidates also succeed in reaching Sindh Assembly. In case of independent candidates joining political parties, the quota of specific seats of these parties will increase further. The Election Commission has ordered a re-poll at two polling stations of PS-18.

According to the election results, PPP won 10 seats from Karachi, 74 seats from other districts of Sindh and a total of 84 provincial assembly seats. According to conservative estimates, the PPP is likely to get 19 seats for women and 6 seats for minorities. In this way, the number of People's Party members in the Sindh Assembly by completing the century will reach to 109.

MQM Pakistan won 25 seats from Karachi, 3 from Hyderabad and a total of 28 seats. MQM is expected to get 6 reserved seats for women and 2 reserved seats for minorities, after which MQM-P number of seats in in Sindh Assembly is expected to reach 37 seats, while GDA and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) are expected to get 1 reserved seat each for women. Thus their number of candidates will reach to three each in the provincial assembly.

The electorate in Karachi has also chosen 10 independent candidates, while three independents were elected from other districts. These 13 successful candidates are required to affiliate with a political party within three days of receiving notification of their victory. Following their affiliation, the party they join stands to benefit from an expanded quota of reserved seats. The House of Sindh Assembly consists of 168 members. There are 130 general seats, 29 reserved seats for women and nine for minorities.

If we look at the 2018 general elections, GDA failed to save the mandate it got in 2018. In 2018, GDA had won 11 general seats of Sindh Assembly from Badin, Shikarpur, Larkana and Khairpur.

Three former Chief Ministers Ghous Ali Shah, Liaquat Jatoi and Arbab Rahim also faced defeat in 2024 general elections.

In 2018 general elections, MQM won 13 Sindh Assembly seats, out of which 10 were from Karachi and 3 from Hyderabad. MQM won 15 more Sindh Assembly seats in 2024 general elections than in 2018.

In 2018, Jamaat-e-Islami had won one seat in Sindh Assembly, while in 2024 it got two seats. Similarly, in 2018 elections TLP had won two seats of Sindh Assembly, while in 2024 it failed to win even a single seat.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th 2024.