Interference in election process won't be tolerated: CEC Sikandar

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Pakistan

Interference in election process won't be tolerated: CEC Sikandar

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has said that the establishment of local bodies in Karachi and Hyderabad is indispensable for democracy.

The Chief Election Commissioner in his message regarding the local government elections said that the people should express their confidence in democracy by being a part of the local government elections, and the law and order situation should be ensured in the local government elections.

He further said that any kind of interference in the election process will not be tolerated, evil elements will be dealt with strictly, law enforcement agencies will fulfill the trust during the election process. 

Second phase of Sindh LG polls set to be held on Jan 15

The ‘much-awaited’ second phase of the Sindh local government elections is to be held in 16 districts including Karachi and Hyderabad on January 15.

The second phase of by-polls will be held in Karachi Central, Karachi East, Karachi South, Karachi West, Malir, Keamari and Korangi.

According to the data available with Dunya News, with over 10.15 million population of the seven districts of Karachi, more than 8 million will exercise their right to vote among which more than 0.3 million voters are females and over 0.46 million male will cast ballots.

A total of 5,017 polling stations would be set up in seven districts of Karachi out of which 1,502 polling stations have been declared sensitive.

Two candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) including Khurrum Sher Zaman from Karachi South Union Committee No. 11 Frere Town and Firdous Shamim Naqvi from Karachi East Union Committee No. 2 Solider Bazaar will be in the race for Karachi Mayor slot while Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) will contesting election from Karachi Central Union Committee No. 8 Al-falah.

On Monday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected a petition of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), seeking use of new voter lists for the Karachi and Hyderabad local government elections.

The MQM-P had challenged the decision of the ECP for the prospective use of two separate electoral rolls in the local government polls simultaneously. A three-member bench of the electoral body, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, had reserved the verdict on Friday.

The electoral watchdog ruled out further delay in the polls and said the second phase of the Sindh local government elections would be held on Jan 15 and the chief secretary and the IGP should ensure peaceful polls.

During the previous hearing, ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal said people were becoming eligible for vote with every passing day, adding that it would be impossible to hold elections if the MQM-P’s reservations on voter lists were accepted. The DG law of the electoral body also asked the ECP to reject the MQM-P’s petition.

In July last year, the electoral body announced that the second phase of the polls had been postponed due to possible monsoon rains in the province in addition to Muharram. The polls were supposed to be held on July 24.

The data provided suggests that Karachi has a population of around 15.17 million people. Out of this population, there are 8.44 million registered voters, with 3.75 million female voters and 4.68 million male voters. The area has 5017 polling stations, with 1502 of them being designated as sensitive. These numbers are the total of all the above mentioned areas in Karachi, it gives an overall picture of the city.

Below are the polling details of the seven districts of Karachi.

Karachi Central

According to the data, Karachi Central has a population of approximately 2.97 million people. Among this population, there are 2.08 million registered voters, with 953,796 female voters and 1.12 million male voters. There are 1,266 polling stations in the area, with 360 of them being designated as sensitive. For the Chairman position, there are 761 registered candidates and the same number of candidates for the Vice Chairman position. In total, there are 3,763 registered candidates for various positions.

Karachi East

The data shows that Karachi East has a population of around 2.61 million people. Out of this population, there are 1.45 million registered voters, with 672,815 female voters and 781,244 male voters. The area has 799 polling stations, with 156 of them being designated as sensitive. For the Chairman position, there are 741 registered candidates and the same number of candidates for the Vice Chairman position. In total, there are 3235 registered candidates for various positions.

Karachi South

The data provided indicates that Karachi South has a population of around 1.41 million people. Among this population, there are 995,054 registered voters, with 445,143 female voters and 549,911 male voters. There are 480 polling stations in the area, with 202 of them being designated as sensitive. For the Chairman position, there are 398 registered candidates, and the same number of candidates for the Vice Chairman position. In total, there are 1,807 registered candidates for various positions.

Karachi West

The data provided shows that Karachi West has a population of approximately 2.08 million people. Among this population, there are 909,187 registered voters, with 379,776 female voters and 529,411 male voters. A total of 641 polling stations have been set up in the area, with 111 of them being designated as sensitive. For the Chairman position, there are 497 registered candidates, and the same number of candidates for the Vice Chairman position. In total, there are 2,330 registered candidates for various positions.

Malir

The data provided suggests that Malir has a population of around 1.81 million people. Out of this population, there are 743,205 registered voters, with 317518 female voters and 425687 male voters. The area will have 509 polling stations, with 104 of them being declared sensitive. For the Chairman position, there are 372 registered candidates and the same number of candidates for the Vice Chairman position. In total, there are 1884 registered candidates for various positions.

Keamari

The data provided indicates that Keamari has a population of about 1.83 million people. Among this population, there are 844,851 registered voters, with 349,562 female voters and 495,289 male voters. As many as 556 polling stations will be set up in the area, with 273 of them being designated as sensitive. For the Chairman position, there are 471 registered candidates, and the same number of candidates for the Vice Chairman position. In total, there are 1,953 registered candidates for various positions.

Korangi

According to the data provided, Korangi has a population of approximately 2.45 million people. Out of this population, there are a total of 1.42 million registered voters, with 634417 female voters and 780674 male voters. The area will have 766 polling stations, with 296 of them designated as sensitive. For the Chairman position, there are 313 registered candidates, and an equal number of candidates registered for the Vice Chairman position. In total, there are 2099 registered candidates for various positions.