Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab secured victory in the local government by-elections on Sunday as he got elected as the chairman UC-13 Saddar Town. According to unofficial results, Murtaza Wahab, representing the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), received 3,976 votes, while his rival, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Noorul Islam, managed to secure 1,566 votes.
Deputy Mayor of Karachi Salman Murad from the PPP also secured a significant win. The unofficial results from 15 polling stations in UC 7 Gadap revealed that Salman Murad garnered 4,717 votes, while his rival from Jamaat-e-Islami, Ayub Khaskheli, received 951 votes. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate, Abdul Hafeez Jokhio, secured 175 votes in this contest.
In a separate electoral outcome from UC-3 of TMC Mari Port town, the PPP’s Saifullah Noor emerged victorious as the chairman with a notable 5,466 votes. The returning officer for Keamari reported that Muhammad Hussain of Jamaat-e-Islami came in second with 788 votes, while PML-N’s Muhammad Shahid Iqbal secured third place with 606 votes. The voter turnout in UC-3 Maripur town was reported to be 29 per cent, with 7,485 votes cast out of 25,512 registered voters.
The celebration following Wahab’s success was marked by jubilant PPP supporters, who joyfully expressed their elation through traditional dance. Wahab himself joined in the festivities and addressed the PPP workers, emphasizing the enduring influence of the Bhutto family in Pakistani politics. He went on to predict that the victory would set the tone for the upcoming general elections, underlining the PPP’s determination to emerge victorious and even suggesting that party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari could be Pakistan’s next prime minister.
On Sunday, local government by-elections were held in nine districts across Karachi. The polling centers remained open from 8 am to 5 pm. All 121 polling stations in the city were declared “sensitive” or “highly sensitive.” A total of 54 candidates from various parties, including the PPP, JI, and PTI, were vying for these nine seats. The by-polls constituencies boast a registered voter count of 206,686 individuals, comprising 112,271 male and 94,415 female voters.
The polling took place for one seat each in district central, district Keamari, and district east of Karachi; three each in district Malir and south district of Karachi; one each in Kashmore, Shikarpur, Ghotki, and Sukkur; four in Khairpur, one each in Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Tando Allah Yar, and Jamshoro.
Last week, JI had filed a petition in the Sindh High Court, seeking to prevent Wahab from taking part in the by-elections. In the petition, JI Karachi Deputy Ameer Raja Arif Sultan argued that the by-elections should be postponed until the constitutional petition is resolved. This move was based on the principle that the mayor’s participation in the by-elections violates the Election Act’s Code of Conduct. Furthermore, Wahab’s involvement in the by-election is also seen as a breach of the code of conduct outlined in the Local Government Act. The petitioner reminded that the ECP has framed the code of conduct for Local Government Elections as per Constitutional provisions. According to Clause 16(B) of the code of conduct issued by ECP, persons holding public office, including mayors, chairmen, and their deputies, are prohibited from engaging in any political activities or election campaigns in any constituency.
