ISLAMABAD: The polling for the top slots of local governments in Sindh, including the mayor and deputy mayor of the province’s only metropolitan corporation in Karachi, will be held on June 15.

According to the poll schedule for the final phase of local government elections in Sindh, the respective electoral colleges will also elect chairmen and vice chairmen of municipal corporations, town municipal corporations, municipal committees, town committees and district councils.

The schedule has been unveiled two days after the Sindh Assembly passed a resolution urging the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to complete the process for elections of mayor, deputy mayor, chairmen, and vice chairmen across the province before the end of the current fiscal year.

As per the ECP schedule, nomination papers will be submitted by candidates on June 9 and 10, while the scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on June 11.

Candidates will have the option to withdraw their papers until June 14 and on June 15, voting will commence at 8am and continue until 5pm.

The elected representatives will take oath on June 19.

In Karachi, 180 votes are required in the City Council by any party to get its candidate elected as mayor.

As the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had announced its support for the candidate of the Jamaat-i-Islami, the religio-political party has claimed to have support of 193 elected members.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which has emerged as the single largest party after the Karachi local government elections, still lacks majority to install its candidate as Karachi mayor.

However, the ruling party still sounds confident that it will win the June 15 election and install its mayor.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2023