KARACHI: Around 500,000 voters living within the jurisdiction of eight cantonment boards in the province will elect their total 44 general councillors in the cantonment local government elections to be held on April 25.

Of the eight cantonment boards in Sindh, six are in Karachi and one each in Hyderabad and Pano Aqil (near Sukkur).

Officials said that there were total 427,566 registered voters in the eight cantonment boards and of them 198,234 were female.

Also read: Returning officers appointed for Cantt board LG elections

The elections to the cantonment boards are being held under the Cantonment Local Government (Election) Rules, 2015 framed under the Cantonments Act, 1924.

Each cantonment board has a different number of councillors (members) depending on the size of its population and registered voters.

The number of registered voters in the Faisal Cantonment Board in Karachi-East is 154,053, who will vote to elect 10 councillors. The board is headed by the base commander of the Pakistan Air Force.

The Manora Cantonment (Karachi South) has total 2,516 registered voters with two seats of councillors. It is headed by a naval commander.

The number of registered voters in the Clifton cantonment (Karachi South) is 142,844 and they will elect 10 councillors. The board is headed by the station commander, an army officer.

The Karachi Cantonment (Karachi South) has total 35,679 registered voters with five seats of councillors. It is headed by the Commander Karachi (COMKAR), a navy officer.

The Malir Cantonment (Karachi Malir) has 29,661 voters, who will elect three councillors. It is headed by the station commander.

The number of registered voters in the Korangi Cantonment is 17,949 with two seats of councillors. It is headed by the base commander, an air force official.

The Pano Aqil Cantonment has total 4,619 voters with two seats of councillors, while the Hyderabad Cantonment has total 40,245 voters who would elect their 10 representatives.

The officials said that each cantonment board had nominated members, whose numbers were equal to those of the elected councillors. The nominated members also have a right to one vote each.

After the election, the general councillors would elect one person from among themselves as the cantonment’s vice president. He would have one vote.

Each board is headed by a president — a uniformed official — who has two votes.

According to the election schedule, the nomination papers could be filed with the returning officers from March 29 to March 31, while the list of candidates would be published on April 1 and scrutiny would be completed by April 4.

The appeals against acceptance or rejection of the nomination papers could be filed by April 6 and the same would be disposed of by April 9. The candidates could withdraw their nominations by April 10.

The allotted symbols’ list would be displayed on April 11 while polling would be held on April 25 and the result would be announced on April 28.

Total 237 polling stations will be set up — 24 for male and 18 for female — with 195 combined polling stations. Some 928 polling booths would be set up and of them 451 would be reserved for female voters.

To ensure free, fair and transparent elections, 2,762 polling staff, including 941 polling officers and 1,581 assistant and 240 presiding officers, would be appointed.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2015

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