BADIN: The Pakistan Peoples Party candidates clinched almost all top offices of the province’s local governments, excluding areas predominantly supportive of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement but including Badin which the party managed to wrest back from its rebel leader Dr Zulfikar Mirza, in the final phase of the LG elections on Wednesday.

In Badin, which had promised to show a neck and neck contest between PPP and its erstwhile leader Dr Mirza, PPP candidate for chairman of district council Ali Asghar Halepoto defeated Dr Mirza’s son Hassam Mirza.

PPP candidates had already returned unopposed in five of the 10 town committees of the district.

Election could not be held in Pangrio and Nindo as the contestants had taken each other to court over electoral issues, while election was held in town committees of Talhar and Tando Bago where PPP candidates defeated their rivals. In a sort of upset, the office of the chairman of Golarchi town committee went to PML-N. PPP candidates Mir Shahid Ahmed Khan Talpur and his deputy won the offices of chairman and vice chairman of Talhar town committee while in Tando Bago town committee, PPP candidate Khan Sahib Jamali was elected chairman and his deputy Muhammad Hussain vice chairman.

The district returning officer stopped election for Matli municipal committee at the 11th hour after declaring that contestant Rauf Nizamani and his proposer and seconder stood disqualified. But the Election Commission of Pakistan rejected the DRO’s decision and ordered to conduct the election on Thursday.

SUKKUR: PPP candidates for chairmen and vice chairmen of district council, municipal corporation, two municipal committees and two town committees were elected unopposed.

Muhammad Aslam Shaikh (chairman), Shah Zaib Shah (vice chairman) of district council, Barrister Arsalan Shaikh (mayor) and Tariq Chohan (deputy mayor) of Sukkur municipal corporation were elected unopposed.

PPP candidates returned unopposed as chairmen and vice chairman in Rohri, Pano Akil, Kandhra, Salehpat and Bagarji. In Ghotki district, PPP candidate Haji Khan Mahar and Safdar Chohan clinched top seats of district council.

NAWABSHAH: PPP’s Mohammad Azeem Mughal and Khan Bahadur Bhatti grabbed the offices of chairman and vice chairman of Nawabshah municipal committee, by defeating MQM’s candidates. PPP’s candidates for chairman and vice chairman of Nawabshah district council, and eight town committees were already elected unopposed.

MITHI: PPP candidates Dr Ghulam Haider Samejo and his deputy Kanwar Karni Singh won top seats district council while PPP candidates in all six town committees of Tharparkar district were already elected unopposed.

PPP’s Manoj Kumar Malani and Doongro Mal were elected unopposed as chairman and vice chairman of Mithi municipal committee.

UMERKOT: PPP’s Khalid Siraj Soomro and Serwan Kolhi were elected chairman and vice chairman of Umerkot municipal committee, defeating PTI’s Purkho Mal and Dharamdas.

PPP’s Syed Noor Ali Shah and Haji Baqa Palli were already elected unopposed chairman and vice chairman of district council.

MIRPURKHAS: MQM’s Farooque Jameel Durrani and Fareed Ahmed were elected chairman and vice chairman of municipal committee. A large number of party workers and office-bearers took out a rally in the city to celebrate the victory.

MQM’s Shakeel Kaimkhani and Umer Daraz Kaimkhani also won top offices of Jhuddo town committee.

KHAIRPUR: PPP’s Shaheryar Wassan and Kashif Bhanbhan won the offices of chairman and vice chairman of district council. PPP candidates Syed Amjad Ali Shah Jillani and Dr Yar Mohammad Phulpoto were already elected unopposed as chairman and vice chairman of municipal committee.

Most of the top seats of town committees were also clinched by PPP candidates.

SHIKARPUR: PPP candidates Agha Masihudin Khan Durrani and his colleague Ameer Ali Kamario were elected unopposed chairman and vice chairman of district council. Similarly, PPP’s Babar Aka Sunni Sanjrani and Khalid Hussain Shaikh were elected unopposed chairman and vice chairman of Shikarpur municipal committee.

PPP candidates also returned unopposed in five town committees, hence polls were held only in Chak town committee where PML-F’s Rashid Sethar and Abdul Rasheed Soomro won the top seats.

SANGHAR: PPP candidates Khadim Rind and Jamaluddin Arain were elected chairman and vice chairman of district council. PML-F candidates won top offices of Sanghar municipal committee and PPP won Shahdadpur municipal committee while in an electoral upset in Tando Adam municipal committee, PPP lost, despite wielding a clear majority, to the Shehri Ittehad, an alliance of MQM, PML-F and Jamaat Islami candidates.

PPP won top offices of Khipro town committee and PML-F emerged victorious in Khadro town committee. PPP candidates had already returned unopposed in six town committees while in Jam Nawaz Ali town committee a PML-F candidate returned unopposed.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2016