The LG elections were held on 2,096 seats in Punjab and 1,072 seats in Sindh.
According to the latest unofficial results, the PML-N in Punjab has been given mandate of 1,190 seats of chairmen, vice chairmen and wards of municipal committees.
The independent candidates have emerged as second with 1,065 seats followed by PTI with 285 seats.
PPP has won only 47 seats followed by PML-Q’s 44 seats. Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Awami Tehrik won two seats each.
Most of the independents are expected to join the PML-N after the results are officially announced by the Election Commission.
In Sindh, PPP emerged victorious winning 720 seats.
Independent candidates won 174 seats, PML-F 74, JUI-F twelve, PTI five, and PML-N and MQM got three seats each.
Polling was held in Sukkur, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Ghotki, Qamber, Larkana, Shahdadkot and Jacobabad.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that they have so far received 143 complaints.
Secretary ECP stated that the media played a positive role in the local government elections.
Senior PTI leader resigns over ‘poor’ performance
Senior PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood has resigned as party’s Lahore organiser for ‘poor performance’ in local government elections in Punjab.
He tweeted to make this announcement.
As district incharge it is my moral duty to accept responsibility for this poor performance. I have today resigned as Lahore organiser
— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) November 1, 2015
PTI fared much worse than expected in Lahore LG elections. We did our best but our best was not good enough. 1/2
— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) November 1, 2015
PTI activist killed in shooting at Sanaullah’s election office
An activist of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was reportedly killed in a shooting incident at Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s encampment.
According to ARY News sources, unknown persons opened fire at Sanaullah’s encampment at Sumangli Road due to which a PTI activist named Mubashir lost his life.
Large number of PTI activists arrived at the scene after the incident.
The provincial law minister, in an exclusive talk with ARY News, denied that any such incident had taken place.
In an another incident, a violent brawl broke out in Faisalabad’s Baang Chak area between PTI activists and supporters of Independent candidate Afzal Dhallu, who were taking out a celebratory rally for his win, after which a Tehreek-e-Insaf worker named Hamid Cheema lost his life whereas his brother Hanaan was severely injured.
Supporters of Rana Sanaullah, Abid Sher Ali lock horns in Faisalabad
The supporters of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali locked horns in Faisalabad.
According to details, the supporters of Rana Sanaullah surrounded Abid Sher Ali when he came to visit a polling station in UC-116.
Soon, supporters of Sanaullah and Ali locked horns. They also chanted slogans against each other.
According to reports, the state minister was also roughed up by Sanaullah’s supporters.
Abid Sher Ali said that he informed the police that the situation was getting intense and requested the law enforcement to disperse the crowd as he did not want any casualties to take place.
ARY News team attacked in Lahore
An ARY News team was attacked during the clash between PML-N and PTI workers at at Kot Lakhpat UC-228.
PTI workers became infuriated when they came to know that a presiding officer was allegedly getting the document, containing the total number of votes, signed from the polling agents before the voting time came to an end.
The police officers pushed ARY News anchorperson Iqrar-ul-Hassan, who had arrived at the scene with the reporting team, to cover the incident.
SHO Kot Lakhpat ordered tear gas shelling due to which the condition of several persons deteriorated.
Iqrar-ul-Hassan continued to fulfill his journalistic responsibilities.
SSP Lahore suspended SHO Kot Lakhpat after the incident.
At least 11 killed in clash at Khairpur polling station
At least 11 persons were killed and scores of others were injured in firing incident at Daraza polling station in Khairpur district during the local bodies elections.
A clash took place between the workers of the candidates of Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional at the polling station, which was resulted in death of at least 11 persons.
Death toll is feared to increase.
Because of security arrangements polling at the polling station in Khairpur where the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was to cast his vote, was stopped for over seven hours. The total number of registered voters at this polling station was 1,088.
Pakistan Army has been called to control the law and order situation.
PM Nawaz Sharif casts vote at Lahore polling station
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cast his vote during local bodies elections in Lahore on Saturday.
The prime minister and his family members have been registered as voters at Lahore’s union council Sarai Sultan (UC 70).
The polling was suspended for other voters as Nawaz Sharif reached the polling station at Government Madrasatul-Banat High School to cast his vote.
On the arrival of the prime minister stringent security measures caused suspension of polling for some time.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari casts vote
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari cast his vote in today’s local elections in Larkana’s Ward No 4. This was the same constituency from where his mother Benazir Bhutto had cast her last ever vote, according to ARY News.
Bilawal himself drove his vehicle to the polling station and was accompanied by hundreds of party supporters and activists who were shouting pro-PPP slogans and seemed to be in a joyous mood.
According to the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan the polling time has been extended to 10 hours-from 7:30 am till 5:30 pm without any break.
The voters queues seen at the polling stations in the two provinces. The polling began at 7.30am at most polling stations this morning.
More than 20 million voters will exercise their right to vote in eight districts of Sindh and 12 districts of Punjab.
All presiding officers have given powers of a first-class magistrate.
The army troops have been called in by the civil administration for maintenance of law and order in sensitive districts during the local government elections.
The authorities have announced local holiday in all 20 districts of Sindh and Punjab on the polling day.
Polling in Sindh
Out of a total of 4,031 polling stations in Sindh, the ECP has placed 1,053 polling stations in the province in ‘sensitive’ category and 1,557 have been marked as ‘highly sensitive’.
Irregularities reported during the elections at a number of polling stations in Sindh.
In Sukkur’s Qureshi Goth the polling station was locked due to the absence of the presiding officer and other polling staff. The voters faced difficulties due to the absence of the polling staff.
In Naun Goth polling station of Sukkur the workers of People’s Party and MQM were engaged in scuffles over the complaint of PPP voters harrassment by the workers of the rival party.
In union council Mithri in district Ghotki, the polling was put off after it was found that the name of the Functional Muslim League candidate was not printed on the ballot paper. The polling in the union council will now be held on November 19.
Sindh CM vote: Voters wait 7 hours for beginning of polling at Khairpur PS
Because of security arrangements polling at the polling station in Khairpur where the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was to cast his vote, was stopped for over seven hours, ARY News reported. The total number of registered voters at this polling station was 1,088.
In Thull the PPP candidates in Wali Muhammad and Sobdar Rajput polling stations, complained about absence of their election symbol on the ballot paper and demanded for stopping the polling.
The Rangers arrested a man at Abdul Razzaq Essani polling station in Jacobabad for casting bogus vote.
In Thull the workers of PPP and JUI exchanged fire at a polling station in which five people were injured including one in a precarious condition. The polling was suspended after the firing incident. The polling resumed again after one hour after deployment of police contingent.
According to media reports, in Khairpur district, SHO Abdul Sattar Kalhoro died at Saddar Ji Bhattioon polling station in heart attack. SHO Abdul Sattar was on election duty during the local bodies elections.
A voter in Sukkur told ARY News that he would be voting for the PPP. He said that the party resonates with the people of the area and is able to resolve their problems.
Polling in Punjab
The women were prevented to cast their votes in three union councils of Chakwal district of Punjab.
The women at union councils 55, 56 and UC Dholar in tehsil Talla Gang, were not allowed to use their right to vote according to the local tradition. A Jirga of the local influentials have prohibited women to cast their votes.
The women in the area have been denied the right to vote for last 35 years but no political party has raised the issue, local people said.
A child is said to have cast his vote at a polling booth in Lahore today in today’s local elections.
PTI workers vehemently protested over printing errors in ballot papers at a polling station of union council 231 in Lahore.
A man riding a horse came to the polling station to cast his vote.
The workers of rival candidates were engaged in scuffles at a number of polling stations in Punjab.
Police captured 40 bogus votes from City Campus polling station in Gujrat.
In Faisalabad’s Government Islamia Girls College polling station PML-N voters cast their votes in presence of the party’s candidate.
In Vehari district polling officials sent disqualification references of 24 candidates to the election commission over violation of the election’s code of conduct. Moreover, a case has also been registered against 23 candidates.
According to an ECP announcement, in Punjab’s 12 districts out of total 16,266 polling stations, 11,851 have been declared sensitive and 3,551 have been placed in ‘highly sensitive’ category.
The country head of the United Nations Development Programme himself visited some polling stations and posted some tweets of what he saw
First Elections w Executive Branch ROs rather than judiciary & a lot more ROs good experience & prep for next elect pic.twitter.com/GuRFCZymUj
— Marc-André Franche (@MAFundp) October 31, 2015
Early voting Chakora Chakwal local Elections #punjab pic.twitter.com/DBIrw3Zviu — Marc-André Franche (@MAFundp) October 31, 2015
Early voting Chakora Chakwal local Elections #punjab pic.twitter.com/DBIrw3Zviu
— Marc-André Franche (@MAFundp) October 31, 2015
PPP Vice-President Senator Sherry Rehman also tweeted about the local elections and particularly focused on women voters, saying that it was important that they go out and cast their vote to elect their local representatives.
Women, go out there and vote! Let’s redefine politics from the ground up! #LocalBodyElections #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/IHg52p3oAl — SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) October 31, 2015
Women voters
According to a graphic posted on social media by the UNDP, women make up 44 per cent of voters in Punjab and 45 per cent of voters in Sindh.
Furthermore, 15 per cent of seats in union councils in Punjab have been reserved for women while in Sindh this reservation is 18 per cent.
Local elections spark interest on Twitter
Interest in the local elections in Punjab and Sindh sparked interest on social media, especially Twitter. Supporters of the various political parties taking part in the elections made tweets on the voting and in favour of their parties and leaders through the voting day.
Number and colour of ballot papers
Original National Identity Card (NIC) will be compulsory for a voter to cast his/her vote. An acknowledgment receipt from NADRA will not be accpeted as replacement of the NIC.
During the local bodies elections in Punjab a voter will cast his vote with two ballot papers: A blue ballot paper to elect Chairman and Vice Chairman, while a white ballot for election of a Councillor and Municipal Committee Member.
A voter in Sindh will use three ballot papers: Green ballot paper for election of Chairman and Vice Chairman, off-white ballot paper for General Councillor and blue ballot paper for the member of the District Council.
Tne polling on Saturday will begin from 7:30 am to conclude at 5:30 pm.
