By-elections to fill vacant seats in local government bodies across 24 districts of Sindh are currently in progress, with voters casting their ballots to choose their representatives.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reports that polling for the 63 by-elections throughout the province commenced at 8 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m.
Election campaigns for all candidates concluded on Friday at midnight. In Karachi, by-elections will be held for 11 union committees (UCs) and 15 vacant constituency member seats. The 11 UCs could affect the party standings within the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, where the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a slim majority over the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
The PPP had previously objected to the ECP’s decision to hold by-elections before the mayoral election, but the ECP dismissed their request. A total of 449 polling stations have been set up for the by-elections, with 434 candidates participating. Over 690,000 eligible voters can partake in the process.
Security concerns have led to 292 polling stations being deemed highly sensitive. Sindh Chief Secretary Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput directed relevant officials to install closed-circuit television cameras for electronic surveillance of these stations to ensure election security. He also ordered the provision of essential amenities at polling stations.
The ECP urged all presiding officers to ensure peaceful and fair elections and pledged to provide polling agents with forms 11 and 12 promptly after the voting process concludes. In addition, over 7,000 police officers will be deployed to maintain order during voting in Karachi.
The ECP has established a central control room and monitoring cell in Islamabad to oversee the by-elections in Sindh. Complaints regarding polling can be made by contacting the control room by phone, fax, or email.
JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman accused the PPP government of planning to rig the elections, citing reports that presiding officers had been instructed to cast fraudulent votes in favor of the ruling party. He warned that any attempt to manipulate the election would be met with strong opposition from JI teams.
By-elections will also be held across 17 districts in Hyderabad, with 38 seats up for grabs, including positions for chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and general members.
The ECP has set up 147 polling stations across these districts, with Sindh police providing security.
