Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab Secures UC Chairman Seat in LB by-polls

In local government elections spanning 14 districts of Sindh, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged victorious, securing the union committee (UC) chairman seat in Karachi’s Saddar Town area.

Wahab secured an impressive 3,976 votes, while his competitor, Noor-ul-Islam, the candidate from Jamat-e-Islami (JI), received 1,556 votes, according to unofficial results.

The announcement of these results sparked jubilation among PPP supporters, who took to the streets to celebrate the victory.

In a parallel contest, Karachi’s Deputy Mayor Salman Murad, also a member of the PPP, won the chairman’s seat from Karachi’s Malir district. These elections were held under the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Act, which mandates that the mayor and deputy mayor must contest and win UC chairman elections within six months after being elected.

Unofficial results from 15 polling stations in Malir’s UC-7 of Gadap town revealed that Murad secured 4,717 votes, surpassing JI’s Ayub Khaskheli, who received 951 votes. PTI’s Abdul Hafeez Jokhio secured 175 votes.

In UC-3 of Mauripur town, PPP’s Saifullah Noor was elected as chairman, garnering 5,466 votes. According to the returning officer in Kemari, Muhammad Hussain of JI was the runner-up with 788 votes, while Muhammad Shahid Iqbal of PML-N received 606 votes.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reported that the local government by-elections were held not only in Karachi but also in Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, and other districts.

A total of 163 polling stations were established across Sindh, with 72 of them labeled as “highly sensitive” and 89 as “sensitive.” In Karachi, 121 polling stations were set up, with 42 deemed “highly sensitive” and 79 “sensitive.”

Provincial Election Commissioner Ejaz Anwar Chohan stressed the importance of ensuring fair and transparent polls, and the ECP has established a control room to monitor the election process closely. The results of these local government elections signal the ongoing political landscape in Karachi and its impact on the governance of the city.