HYDERABAD: There were no surprises in elections for the remaining seats of the local government held in four districts on Thursday as the winning trend of the Pakistan Peoples Party in rural areas and of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in urban centres did not lose momentum and remained mostly intact, according to unofficial results.

Elections on these seats were postponed over candidates’ complaints against award of unpalatable and undesired symbols, printing of wrong symbols on ballot papers, death of winning candidates etc.

In Hyderabad, elections were held in a peaceful manner for 19 seats out of which PPP won 15 and MQM clinched four.

According to break-up, PPP won two seats of chairmen in UC-53 in Latifabad taluka and UC Sehwaar in Hyderabad taluka (rural) and clinched eight general councillor seats in UC-53 and UC Sehwaar as well as district council seat of the latter.

It also grabbed two seats of ward councillors in Husri town committee, one seat in Qasimabad municipal committee and ward-4 of UC-87 Latifabad. MQM bagged seats of three ward councillors of Husri town committee and chairman’s slot in UC-8.

A tough contest was witnessed between PPP’s Abbas Khan and independent Rahib Khan Solangi in UC-53 while in UC-8 polls were a one-sided affair between MQM and JUP-N candidates.

Since MQM has already swept 77 seats of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to clinch seats of mayor and deputy mayor, victory of its candidate in UC-8 was a forgone conclusion. MQM’s Iqbal Arain was pitted against JUP-N’s Zahid Noorani who did not take any interest in polling and got only 82 votes.

JUP-N president Sahibzada Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair, who formed his own faction after parting ways with Awais Noorani, son of Allama Shah Ahmed Noorani. None of the divided JUP candidates was able to win any seat. The party, which had once ruled City taluka of Hyderabad, one each seats of National Assembly and provincial assembly in 2002, has suffered irreparable damage due to the split.

The situation remained normal in five wards of Husri town committee where elections were postponed over objections to delimitation.

In Sukkur, PPP candidate for chairman of UC Mithiri, Aijaz Mahar, secured 3,480 votes after his opponent PML-F’s Fakir Arbelo Mangrio pulled out of the race in his favour, according to unofficial results. Six polling stations were set up for the election of chairman and vice chairman where police provided security and Rangers personnel patrolled the streets.

In Mirpurkhas, election was held in four union councils of Mir Achal, Turk Ali Marri, Pir Azeem Shah and Hussain Bux Marri and a ward No.7 of Kot Ghulam Muhammad town committee amid strict security.

According to unofficial results, PPP candidates won in two UCs defeating PML-F candidates, while result of the other two UCs was awaited.

In UC Turk Ali Marri, Vazir Ali Marri of PPP grabbed the chairman’s slot with 4,300 votes, defeating PML-F’s Ghulam Rasool Pathan who was polled 691 votes. Liaquat Odho of PPP won district council seat with 4,204 votes, defeating Sindh United Party’s Mohammad Hashim who was polled 600 votes.

In UC Pir Azeem Shah, Ghulam Mohammad Marri of PPP clinched seat of chairman, defeating PMl-F’s Sarwar Shah while another PPP candidate, Ali Nawaz Marri, won district council seat.

There were a total of 43,890 voters in the four UCs and 54 polling stations were set up. Turnout remained 25 per cent in areas where transport was not available to voters and remained 40 per cent at the polling stations set up near main roads.

At least two polling stations were set up in government dispensaries in Imtiaz Panhwar village near Old Mirpur and Mir Sher Muhammad Talpur village, which put a large number of patients in great trouble and deprived them of medical treatment.

Sources said that a former MPA of PPP had arrived at a women’s polling station in Mir Ghulam Ali village along with two dozen supporters and tried to harass opponents’ voters and polling staff. A complaint was made to this effect to the returning officer concerned in this regard.

Besides, dozens of supporters of MQM held a demonstration outside men’s polling station in Kak Bungalow in protest against ‘not allowing their voters to cast vote’.

The protesters complained that presiding officer Asim Mehmood and a revenue employee Allah Warayo had stopped several voters from voting without any reason. The officials were harassing voters to ensure victory of their rival, they said.

Personnel of police and Rangers patrolled streets of the union councils where polling was being held.

In Naushahro Feroze, PPP won most of the seats in election for two town committees and three UCs, according to unofficial results. PPP swept up seats in eight wards each of town committee Halani and Mthiani and also most of the seats of UCs Manuth, Detha and Dehat.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2015