2,551 candidates in the fray in six districts of Hyderabad division

In the second phase of the local government elections in Sindh to be held on January 15, some 2,551 candidates will contest for 160 seats of union committees’ chairman, vice chairman and general member in the Hyderabad division.

A total of 11,226 candidates have submitted nomination papers for 6,774 seats for members of municipal committees, town committees and district councils of Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Dadu and Jamshoro districts.

A total of 2,674 polling stations have been set up in six districts of the Hyderabad division for the municipal elections. Of them, 1,895 have been declared sensitive and 779 highly sensitive. The number of registered voters in these six districts of Hyderabad division is 3.451 million, of whom nearly one million registered voters reside in Hyderabad, 368,000 in Matiari, 505,000 in Jamshoro, 385,000 in Tando Allahyar, 281,000 in Tando Muhammad Khan and 912,000 in Dadu.

Some 28,562 officers and staff have been assigned election duties by the Election Commission of Pakistan for the local government polls. Around 25,000 police personnel will be deployed for security arrangements.

Political observers expect major upsets in Hyderabad division during the second phase of the local government elections, which have been stalled for a year. The Sindh government kept postponing the elections on the pretext of heavy floods and rains or non-completion of arrangements.

Finally, the elections will be held on January 15 in compliance with orders of the Sindh High Court. Elections in the Hyderabad division will be held in Dadu, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, and Matiari districts.

After amendments in the law, district councils have been abolished in most districts, and union committees have been formed in rural areas. Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Pak Sarzameen Party, nationalist parties, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) are actively participating in the elections.