LG polls’ disappointing turnout

Delays, lack of campaigning clear in low voter participation

Karachi: Karachi, the commercial hub of Pakistan, saw abysmal attendance in the much-anticipated local body elections, as the majority of the people, including women and youth, abstained from the polling, mainly owing to the indifferent attitude of the political parties.

The workers of various political parties cited cold weather and continuous delays in the elections among the many reasons for a low turnout on the polling day.

However, the polling stations witnessed a dearth of women and youth voters throughout the day because of the lack of any campaign to raise awareness among the voters.

Zaman Shah Jadoon, a Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) candidate for the chairmanship of the Union Council-12, said that although the overall turnout was satisfactory, the number of women voters was much lower than expected.

“We had expected a higher turnout. However, the persistent delay in holding the elections and the cold weather, to some extent, have resulted in lower attendance on election day,” he added.

The second phase of the Sindh local government elections was originally scheduled for July 24, 2022, but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponed it to August 28, 2022, citing possible rains and bad weather conditions in the province.

The polls were postponed again on August 24, 2022, due to persistent rains and the risk of urban flooding, and the ECP announced that elections would be held on October 23, 2022. On October 18, the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) requested the Election Commission to give some more time to the government owing to the lack of security personnel, upon which the ECP decided to hold the polls on January 15, 2023.

Meanwhile, on the polling day, very few political parties had set up their camps to facilitate the voters, especially women, who account for less than 50 per cent of the total votes polled in the surveyed union councils.

photos: athar khan/Bol News

One such camp of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was set up at UC-11, where party worker Kausar Kazmi, who was optimistic about her party’s victory, was seen helping women voters throughout the day.

“We had a sizeable turnout of female voters, many of whom were young. However, the names of many women were not on the list of voters. Nonetheless, we remain optimistic that our party’s candidate will win the elections,” she added.

The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) camp at UC-9, Saddar Town was also one of the few camps having women workers, who were facilitating the voters. Similarly, the youth also seemed indifferent towards the elections, as they expressed disappointment with the performance of the political parties.

A group of young people playing cricket near Boat Basin said that the politicians had always ignored Karachi; therefore, they had no interest in the elections, as their problems would remain the same regardless of who won the elections.

However, those young people who reached the polling stations expressed high hopes for a strong and robust local government.

A group of young voters who were present at UC-10 to cast their votes said that they had voted for the PTI in the general election, but that this time they had chosen JI candidate Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman for mayor. According to them, Rehman is the best candidate to lead the city and its people toward much-needed development.

The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) camp at UC-9 Saddar Town was also one of the few camps having women workers, who were facilitating the voters.

Similarly, the youth also seemed indifferent towards the elections, as they expressed disappointment with the performance of the political parties.

Youngsters, playing cricket near Boat Basin said that the politicians had always ignored Karachi; therefore, they had no interest in the elections, as ‘their problems will remain the same regardless of who won the elections’.

However, the youth who reached the polling stations expressed high hopes for a strong and robust local government. A group of young voters present at UC-10 to cast their votes said that they had voted for the PTI in the general elections, but this time, they have opted for Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman for the mayor ship.

For them, Rehman is the best option to lead the city and the people, toward the much needed development. The JI Karachi president knows the hardships being faced by the people and he has been actively raising voice for the common man, they added.

Amir Khan, a young voter, said that he is casting the vote for the first time in any election. He was accompanied by his father, who said that his loyalty has remained with PPP since he was a young man.

“I believe PPP has the expertise and the leadership in the province to restore the glory of the city. PPP leader Syed Najmi Alam has initiated various development projects in our area. If he becomes mayor, he will make Karachi a great city,” he added.

photos: athar khan/Bol News

The PPP has emerged victorious in Hyderabad during the second phase of the local government elections, as the unofficial results suggest that in Hyderabad, the PPP has secured 94 seats.

Sultan Karim, a PTI supporter, blamed the provincial leadership of the party for the dismal performance, as the party failed to attract a large audience in the local bodies’ elections.

“I will always vote for PTI Chairman Imran Khan. However, the PTI leadership of Sindh, especially Karachi is to blame, if the party fails to secure a majority in the elections,” he added.

For him, the provincial leadership of the party never contacted the workers and supporters, while other parties, especially, the JI Karachi, remained engaged not only with their workers but also approached the voters across the city.

Gulzar Ahmed, a daily wage earner, slammed all the political parties and said no political leader bothered to resolve the problems of the common man. The politicians were only seen in their constituencies during the election days and after getting elected, they never returned to inquire about the problems of the area.

“Whoever comes to power, our problems will remain the same, so why should we waste our time in casting votes by standing in long queues at the polling stations.”

In the meantime, the LG polls in Karachi were largely peaceful. However, JI and PTI criticised the ECP and the provincial government for alleged rigging and a delay in the dispersal of Forms 11 and 12.

As per the unofficial results, the ruling PPP emerged as the winner with 93 seats; followed by Jamaat-e-Islami, 86; and PTI with 40 seats in all the 235 union councils in Karachi.

The PTI leaders alleged rigging by the ruling party, after it suffered a major setback when its candidate Khurram Sher Zaman, who was in consideration for the top slot of mayor, lost to PPP’s Najmi Alam in UC-11 of Saddar Town.

However, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), once the largest party in Karachi and Hyderabad, announced a boycott just hours before the polls and thanked the people of Karachi and Hyderabad for rejecting the polls.