The final combined results of 205 out of 235 union councils in Sindh’s Karachi division, where voting for the positions of chairman and vice chairman took place on January 15, were made public by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday.
PPP currently has 93 seats in the union council, followed by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), which has gained 86 seats so far, according to the preliminary figures. PTI has secured 40 seats, PML-N seven, independent candidates three, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam two, while Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan currently hold one seat.
The first voting results to be submitted came from the Matiari district. Results from all 345 polling locations for 30 Union Councils (UC), 6 town committees, and 1 municipal committee in Matiari were sent to the drop box of the provincial election commissioner’s office, according to Matiari Syed Nadeem Haider, the district returning officer (DRO) and regional election commissioner.
In response to complaints from political parties about the delay in releasing local body election results, the ECP stated on Monday that it is a “complicated matter that takes time” and provided assurance that the results that have been compiled were being sent to the returning officers’ (RO) office.
Ijaz Anwar Chauhan, the provincial election commissioner for Sindh, explained the reasons for the delay in results to the media.
In 16 Sindh districts—East, West, South, Central, Korangi, Keamari, and Malir of the Karachi division; Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Badin, Sujawal, and Thatta of the Hyderabad division—the second round of the local government elections was held on January 15.
The opposing parties, namely the PTI and the JI, claimed on Sunday night that the results of the polls were being purposefully delayed in Karachi, casting doubt on the validity of the elections.
The PTI publicly charged misconduct by the PPP, the provincial government, and the election commission, admonishing against attempts to “alter the outcomes” after voting.
