Balochistan: JUI-F outshines ruling coalition

The lion’s share goes to independent candidates who clinched 2,675 seats, followed by JUI-F with 964 seats.

QUETTA:

In the Balochistan local government (LG) elections, independent candidates had the lion’s share. However, among the political parties, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman) emerged as the single largest party securing 964 seats in different tiers of the LG system.

The official results were announced seven days after the balloting. And Provincial Election Commissioner Sultan Bayazeed cited several reasons for the delay.

“Returning officers (ROs) took time in crosschecking while results from the remote areas of the province were also received after a delay of three to four days,” he said. The Election Commission of Pakistan would soon notify the winners, he added.

Balochistan took the lead and conducted the LG elections on December 7. Polling was held in 4,036 constituencies of the province, and as many as 2,554 candidates – most of them from the Baloch-dominated areas – were elected unopposed, according to the available data.

Independent candidates gained a clear majority and clinched 2,675 seats. They were followed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F which bagged 964 seats.

The three main coalition partners in the provincial government – Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), National Party and Pakistan Muslim Leage-Nawaz (PML-N) – won 765, 562 and 472 seats, respectively.

Among other parties, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Nazariati (JUI-N), a splinter group of JUI-F, bagged 227 seats; Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), 198; Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), 68; Awami National Party (ANP), 62;  BNP-Awami, 54 seats; Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), 39; Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI), 22; Jamoot Qaumi Movment  (JQM), 11; Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), 9; Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), 5; and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), 4 seats. As many as 29 seats went to other parties.

The PkMAP, which is a Pashtun nationalist party, clinched most of the seats in northern Balochistan, while the NP emerged victorious in the Baloch-dominated areas. Conversely, JUI-F candidates won from different parts of the province.

The voters’ turnout in the Baloch-dominated areas was below 25% due to the volatile security situation there. However, the overall turnout was about 42% which the ECP said was good.

The provincial election commissioner said polls were not held in more than 559 constituencies and results of 17 constituencies have been withheld due to technical problems and complaints. For instance, elections were not held in Kech, Harnai and Awaran districts. “The ECP may announce the schedule for by-election on December 19,” he added.

He said the ECP would notify the winners within a couple of days and then constitute election tribunals in each district to take up complaints. As many as 600 candidates have registered complaints with the commission. “Tribunals will be headed by district magistrates, sessions judges and additional sessions judges,” he added.

Bayazeed said there were 33% reserved seats for women, 5% each for peasants, labourers and minorities, who would be elected by councillors who had won elections on December 7. He said the process would be completed by the end of January.



1. AWARAN

Polls not conducted

2. BARKHAN

District council:

Independent: 9, JUI-F:1, NP: 1

Municipal committee:

Independent: 10

Union council:

Independent: 85, NP: 6

3. KACHI (BOLAN)

District council:

Independent: 18, NP: 1

Municipal committee:

Independent: 25, NP: 1

Union council:

Independent: 163, JQM: 1

4. CHAGAI

District council:

PML-Q: 5, IND/PPP: 3 each

Municipal committee:

PML-Q: 5, PPP: 2

Union council:

Independent: 40, PML-Q: 23

5. DERA BUGTI

District council:

Independent: 11, PML-N: 3

Municipal committee:

Independent: 14, PML-N: 4

Union council:

Independent: 93, PML-N: 10              

6. GWADAR

District council:

BNP-M: 10, NP: 7

Municipal committee:

Independent: 47, NP: 22

Union council:

Independent: 93, NP: 14

7. HARNAI

Polls not conducted

8. JAFARABAD

District council:

Independent: 29, PML-N: 9

Municipal committee:

PML-N: 26, Independent: 20

Union council:

Independent: 213, PML-N: 45

9. JHAL MAGSI

District council:

Independent: 11, PML-N: 1

Municipal committee:

Independent: 7
Union council:

Independent: 103, PML-N: 6

10. Kalat

District Council

NP: 8, Independent: 7

Municipal Committee

Independent: 10, BNP-M: 5

Union Council

Independent: 125, NP: 38

11. KECH

District council:

No elections held

Municipal committee:

JUI F: 8, NP: 7

Municipal Corporation:

No elections held

Union council:

No elections held

12. KHARAN

District council:

PML-Q: 3, NP/PML-N: 2 each

Municipal committee:

Independent: 10, PML-Q: 4

Union council:

Independent: 35, PML-Q: 13

13. KOHLU

District council:

Independent: 3, PML-N: 2

Municipal committee:

Independent: 8

Union council:

Independent: 25, PTI: 6

14. KHUZDAR

District council:

PML-N: 12, BNP-M: 9

Municipal committee:

BNP M: 18, NP: 12

Municipal Corporation:

NP: 11, PML-N: 6

Union council:

Independent: 64, PML-N: 64

15. KILLA ABDULLAH

District council:

PkMAP: 11, Independent: 9

Municipal committee:

Independent: 9, PkMAP: 4

Municipal Corporation:

PkMAP: 16, PML-N: 9

Union council:

Independent: 122, PkMAP: 72

16. KILLA SAIFULLAH

District council:

JUI-F: 10, PkMAP: 4

Municipal committee:

PkMAP: 21, JUI-F: 4

Union council:

JUI-F: 79, JUI-N: 48

17. LASBELA

District council:

Independent: 18, PML-N: 4

Municipal committee:

Independent: 77, PML-N: 18

Union council:

Independent: 215, PML-N: 43

18. LORALAI

District council:

PkMAP: 12, Independent: 6

Municipal committee:

PkMAP: 16, PML-N: 7

Union council:

PkMAP: 86, Independent: 62

19. MASTUNG

District council:

NP: 10, Independent: 9

Municipal committee:

Independent: 11, NP: 10

Union council:

Independent: 79, NP: 61

20. MUSAKHEL

District council:

JUI F: 9, Independent: 4

Municipal committee:

JUI F: 6, Independent: 3

Union council:

JUI F: 73, Independent: 40

21. DERA MURAD JAMALI

District council:

PML-N: 13, Independent: 11

Municipal committee:

Independent: 16,JUI F/PML-N/JI:1

Union council:

Independent: 162, PML-N: 44

22. NOSHKI

District council:

Independent: 6, NP: 2

Municipal committee:

Independent: 10, NP/BNP M: 2 each

Union council:

Independent: 38, NP: 11

23. PANJGUR

District council:

NP: 13, BNP-A: 6

Municipal committee:

NP: 22, BNP-A: 10

Union council:

NP: 68, BNP-A: 28

24. PISHIN

District council:

PkMAP: 24, JUI F: 20

Municipal committee:

PkMAP: 40, JUI F: 31

Municipal Corporation:

PkMAP: 26, JUI F: 13

Union council:

PkMAP: 196, JUI F: 185

25. QUETTA

District council:

PkMAP: 4, Independent: 2

Metropolitan corporation:

Independent: 21, PkMAP: 18

Union council:

PkMAP: 20, Independent: 11

26. SHERANI         

District council:

PkMAP: 6, JUI F: 6

Municipal committee:

JUI F: 6, PkMAP: 2

Union council:

JUI F: 69, PkMAP: 37

27. SIBI

District council:

Independent: 2, NP/BNP-A/PkMAP: 1 each

Municipal committee:

Independent: 28, JUI F/NP/BNP-A/BNP-M/PkMAP: 1 each

Union council:

NP: 3, PkMAP: 3, Independent: 40

28. WASHUK

District council:

NP: 6, Independent: 2

Municipal committee:

JUI F: 6, NP: 5

Union council:

NP: 74, PML-N: 14

29. ZHOB

District council:

JUI-N: 9, JUI-F: 5

Municipal committee:

PkMAP: 15, Independent: 6

Union council:

JUI-N/JUI-F: 51 each, Independent: 24

30. ZIARAT

District council:

JUI-F: 6, PkMAP: 5

Municipal committee:

PkMAP: 4, JUI-F: 2

Union council:

JUI-F: 45, PkMAP: 40

31. LEHRI

District council:

Independent: 7, NP: 3

Municipal committee:

Independent: 6, JUI-F: 3

Union council:

Independent: 69, NP: 11

32. SOHBATPUR

District council:

PML=N: 8, Independent: 7

Municipal committee:

Independent/NP/PML-N: 2 each

Union council:

Independent: 99, PML-N: 20

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2013