PPP, PML-N consolidate gains

SUKKUR/LAHORE:

As unofficial results of Saturday’s local government elections in Sindh and Punjab continue to pour in, the PPP and PML-N continue to dominate their respective strongholds.

Though the PPP won most of the seats in the first phase of the LG polls in eight Sindh districts – Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot – the party also faced some major upsets.



PPP’s Dr Nasrullah Baloch lost his seat at the union committee of the Sukkur Municipal Corporation (SMC) to an independent candidate Mir Mahar. Similarly, PPP Sukkur General Secretary Javed Shah lost his district council seat to Talib Buriro of the PML-F. PPP’s Nadeem Qadir Bhutto lost at Shamsabad, Sukkur. PPP Sindh Council member Shafqat Hussain Mirani also lost at Shamsabad to independent candidate Haji Wazir Mahar. In ward 1 Kandhkot, PPP district president Dr Fida Hussain Mirani lost to independent candidate Shamsuddin Pathan. In Larkana, PPP’s Mumtaz Ali Shaikh lost the union committee 13 seat of the Larkana Municipal Corporation (LMC).

The PPP won 18 of the 26 SMC union committees, independents five and MQM three. So far the PPP has also won 32 Sukkur union councils, PML-F two and one seat was secured by an independent candidate. Besides clean sweeps in Pano Akil and Salehpat town committees, the PPP won eight of the nine seats of Rohri municipal committee, while one seat was secured by an independent candidate.

In Ghotki, the PPP won all 20 seats of the municipal committee, while in Mirpur Mathelo, it won three of the nine seats as five seats were secured by the Lund Group and one by Imran Khan’s PTI. Of the 12 Mirpur Mathelo union councils, the PPP won three, PML-F three, independents two and PTI one. Moreover, the PPP won all 10 seats of Ubauro town committee, all six seats of Khanpur Mahar town committee and all three seats of Adilpur town committee.



In Larkana, the PPP won 14 of the 20 LMC union committees, PPP-Workers four and one each by JUI and an independent. The PPP also won 42 of the 47 Larkana union councils, besides making clean sweeps in Ratodero and Naudero talukas. In Dokri, the PPP managed to secure only one of the five seats, while the remaining were won by independents.

In Jacobabad, the PPP made a clean sweep at the district council, two municipal committees and three town committees. Of the 44 union councils, the PPP won 37. The party also won 25 of the 30 Jacobabad municipal committee seats, independents four and one by the PML-N. Moreover, all the 16 Kandhkot union committees and all the 56 union councils were won by the PPP.

In Khairpur, the PPP won 27 of the 29 units of the municipal committee. In Shikarpur, the PPP won 18 of the 30 municipal committee seats, PML-F seven and two each by JUI and the independents. The PPP also won 30 of the 55 Shikarpur union councils. The PPP won 13 of the 14 Qambar municipal seats and 11 of the 14 Shahdadkot municipal seats. The party made a clean sweep in the district except for the Miro Khan town committee, where the PML-F bagged three of the five seats. The PPP also won all the 52 union councils of the district.



Meanwhile, in Punjab, the ruling PML-N is leading the polls with 900 seats that the party secured in the first phase of LG polls held in 12 districts: Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Kasur, Okara, Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Chakwal, Pakpattan, Lodhran, Bhakkar and Nankana Sahib. The independents trail with 741 seats, followed by the PTI with 192 and PPP and the PML-Q with 33 each.

After winning a simple-majority in the polls, the PML-N is in a position to easily form its local government under the Lahore Metropolitan Corporation. In Lahore, the party won 230 of the 274 union councils, PTI 12 and PPP one, while the remaining seats were secured by independents.

The PML-N won 27 seats in Bahawalnagar, PTI nine and independents more than 70. In Bhakkar, the PML-N secured 52 seats, independents 38, PPP nine and PTI six.



In Kasur, the ruling party won 58 seats, the independents 38 and PTI 18. In Okara, the independents won 34 seats, PML-N 28 and PTI eight.

In Pakpattan, the PML-N won 28 seats, independents 34 and PTI eight. In Chakwal, the ruling party secured eight seats, PTI two and PML-Q one.

In Vehari, the independents won 48 seats, PML-N 34, PTI 18 and PPP one. In Gujrat, the PML-N won 26 seats, PTI 18 and PML-Q and independents 15 each. In Lodhran, the PML-N won 32 seats, independents 15 and PTI six. In Nankana Sahib, the independents won 40 seats and PML-N 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2015.