HYDERABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party is all set to bring its mayor in Hyderabad for the first time ever as the composition of council of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has completed and the ruling party has a total of 171 seats, including the reserved ones, while it required a simple majority of 121 in the house of 241.

The composition of the council of HMC completed after allocation of reserved seats for six categories including two recently introduced ones – transgender and persons with disabilities.

The HMC’s council comprised 241 members, of which 160 were directly contested, whereas 81 were reserved seats – 53 women, eight labour, youth and non-Muslim each, and two transgender and persons with disabilities each – according to the seats allocation formula notified by district election commissioner (DEC) Mohammad Yousif Majidano.

“The house of HMC has been completed barring one seat of chairman/vice chairman UC-119 where poll was postponed due to violence and one seat of transgender remained vacant,” Majidano told Dawn on Sunday.

The break-up of reserved seats shows that the PPP has 38 seats of women, six each of labour, youth and non-Muslims and one each of transgender and person with disability.

The PTI got 14 seats of women, two each seats of labour, youth and non-Muslim and one of transgender which remained vacant. The Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) also got one seat of women.

For 81 reserved seats, 132 candidates’ nominations were accepted. Women category seats were allotted in line with 33 per cent representation that took their seats’ tally to 53 in HMC’s council.

Likewise, five per cent representation each of youth, labour and minority fixed their seats at eight each and one per cent representation of transgender and person with disability fixed two seats each for them in the elected house.

It would be second elected council of the HMC that would come into existence in last one decade. Earlier, HMC’s council – elected in 2015 and headed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement – was dissolved on completion of its tenure in 2020.

As PPP will lead HMC’s council for the first time, the party has not yet decided candidate for mayoral slot of Hyderabad.

Several candidates including Kashif Shoro, Saghir Qureshi, Ali Mohammad Sahito, Aftab Ahmed Khanzada and Dr Irfan Gul Magsi have applied for the slot.

Magsi, Qureshi and Khanzada applied after PPP’s Sindh government amended the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 to enable unelected persons contest for top local councils’ slots and the candidate would have to win an election from his/her union council after being elected in the house.

Kashif Khan Shoro is younger brother of Jam Khan Shoro, sitting Sindh irrigation minister and former Municipal Committee Qasimabad chairman, while Saghir Ahmed Qureshi is Sindh Chief Minister’s special assistant for Hyderabad affairs and district Hyderabad PPP. Ali Mohammad Sahito is PPP Hyderabad district general secretary who could vie for town’s chairmanship for Sachal Sarmast town also as he was elected as vice chairman from there besides being chairman from said town.

Party sources said the PPP leadership has to choose between Kashif Shoro or Dr Irfan Gul Magsi as Hyderabad mayor and hectic lobbying was underway within party circles.

“Saghir Qureshi is a choice for this slot, but vibes are that party may choose him for deputy mayor’s office,” claimed party source.

He added that Saghir didn’t contest Jan 15 UC elections.

“There is a cry within party that PPP has not performed better even after MQM’s boycott and it didn’t win a single seat from Latifabad town whereas it didn’t fare well in Paretabad town either, which reflects poorly on district body’s performance,” said the source.

He disclosed despite of smaller sizes of UCs created in new local government set up for Hyderabad to help party win most UCs, both the towns went to PTI.

“Tandojam and Tando Fazal are stronghold of PPP leader Sharjeel Memon while Qasimabad and Hussainabad are dominated by Jam Khan Shoro and MPA Jabbar Khan respectively,” said party insider.

Mayor’s election is to be held on June 15 for which a public notice is to be published on June 8. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to hold polling for mayor’s elections in Hyderabad Gymkhana, but the venue might be changed.

Given the size of the HMC’s council, now it is not yet known where 241-member council would hold its sessions as present council’s space would be insufficient for such a larger size council.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2023