LG by-elections: Polling starts in 14 districts of Sindh

KARACHI: Polling for Local Government (LG) by-elections on 28 local government seats has begun in 14 districts of Sindh. A public holiday has been declared to facilitate the public to cast their vote.

According to the Sindh Election Commission, polling began at 8:00 am and will continue until 5:00 pm without any break.

The by-elections are being held in Matiari, Thatta, Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Dadu, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Badin and Karachi’s West, East and Keamari districts.

While aspirants in over 30 vacant seats in Shaheed Benazirabad, Tando Allahyar, Kamber Shahdadkot, Naushahro Feroze, Tharparkar, Sujawal and Kashmore-Kandhkot districts have already been elected unopposed.

In Umerkot, polling is being held on three seats of two union councils. The seats had fallen vacant following the death of the UC Gapno chairman and district councillor.

A tough contest is expected between candidates backed by the PPP, PTI and GDA. UC Gapno has a total of 12,822 registered voters, including 6,054 women. To ensure law and order, 335 security personnel have been deployed.

Public holiday announced for tomorrow

In Hyderabad, polling is taking place for six seats of five union councils, including one chairman, one vice chairman and four general ward members.

These seats had fallen vacant due to the death of candidates and other reasons. Hyderabad has a total of 24,915 registered voters. The Election Commission has set up 18 polling stations, where 450 police personnel and officers are on duty.

According to the Election Commission spokesperson, polling is also being held in three districts of Karachi, as well as in Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Badin and Thatta.

The provincial election commissioner has directed officials concerned to remain vigilant to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.

Around 160 candidates from PPP, JI, PML-N, TLP, JUI-F and other parties, along with independents, are contesting the by-polls. The MQM-P, which boycotted the January 2023 local government elections, has also stayed away from the by-elections.

CONTROL ROOM SET UP

The Election Commission of Pakistan has set up a provincial monitoring control room at the office of the Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh to oversee all phases of the local government by-elections.

According to the spokesperson of the Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh, the control room will remain functional until all results are received and will address complaints or queries from citizens. Voters can contact the control room via phone at 021-99204544 or through email.

Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh, Ejaz Anwar Chauhan, has also issued strict instructions to District Returning Officers (DROs), Returning Officers (ROs), and other officials to ensure peaceful, transparent, and impartial polls. He warned that negligence would not be tolerated and directed staff to use all available resources for a smooth electoral process.

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