PPP leads in LB by polls in Sindh

Karachi: Murtaza Wahab of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has retained his position as mayor of Karachi following PPP's victory in the Local Bodies (LB) by-elections, according to unofficial results.

In UC-3 Maripur Town, PPP's Saifullah received 5,466 votes, while JI candidate Muhammad Hussain garnered 788 votes.

In UC-13 Saddar Town, Murtaza Wahab secured victory with 3,976 votes, while his opponent, a joint candidate of PTI and JI, obtained 1,566 votes.

PPP claimed victory in all four seats in Khairpur, including two municipal committees, one town committee, and one district councilor seat.

In three polling stations of UC-3 in Qadirpur Ghotki, PPP's candidate Bashir Bhutto secured 509 votes, and JI's Barkat Bhutto received 412 votes.

Furthermore, in all 27 polling stations of UC Murad Memon, PPP's Salman Murad emerged victorious with 10,215 votes, with JI's Ayub Khaskheli claiming the second position with 1,408 votes.

The LB by-elections in 16 districts of Sindh concluded with strict security measures. The polling, which began at 8:00 am, continued until 5:00 pm without any breaks. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) set up 182 polling stations for the LB by-polls, with 109 of them considered highly sensitive and 100 as sensitive. Stringent security measures were put in place to ensure a peaceful and fair electoral process.

In June, Murtaza Wahab and Salman Abdullah Murad were sworn in as Karachi mayor and deputy mayor, respectively, following their election by the city council. Wahab secured 173 votes, while JI's candidate Hafiz Naeemur Rehman received 160 votes out of 332 elected members who reached the polling station.

Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab attributed the victory to the leadership and workers of the PPP, stating that this is just the first step and that PPP will succeed in the general elections, with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari becoming the next Prime Minister of Pakistan.