MQM gets mandate to control Karachi

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement is set to get its candidates elected as mayor and deputy mayor of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation after a landslide victory in the Saturday’s local government elections.

While the MQM clinched a maximum number of union committees – 134 of 209 – the PPP and the PML-N emerged as the second and third-largest parties.

The PPP won 23 UCs and the PML-N 16 in Karachi’s six districts.

The electoral alliance of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami collectively won 17 UCs, but both parties had contested the election with their own symbols. The Election Commission of Pakistan’s record also showed them as two separate entities.

A spokesman for the JI told Dawn that of the 17 UCs, 11 were won by his party and six by the PTI.

Sources close to the ECP said the turnout was less than 40 per cent. They said the elections were held on 208 UCs, as the polling in one constituency was postponed after the death of a candidate.

In addition to the mayor and deputy mayor, the MQM is also set to grab the posts of chairmen of the district municipal corporations of four of the six districts.

The MQM became the single largest party in four districts — Central, Korangi, East and West. It clinched 50 of the 51 seats in Central district, 34 of the 37 UCs in Korangi, 19 of the 31 UCs in East and 21 of the 46 UCs in West district.

The MQM also got five of the 13 UCs in Malir and 10 seats in South district.

The PPP got majority seats in districts South and Malir by winning 11 of the 31 seats in South and five in Malir.

Of the 16 seats won by the PML-N, it bagged three UCs in Lyari, once considered a PPP stronghold.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2015