Survey: Who will Karachi vote for in General Elections 2024

KARACHI: The latest survey among Karachi residents for the upcoming 2024 general election on February 8, 2024, revealed that 25 percent are undecided on their voting choice, while an equal number intend to vote for Jamaat-e-Islami.

According to details from a survey released by the Public Voice, conducted from January 15 to January 26 via telephone interviews disclosed that 25 percent of respondents, planning to vote on February 8, haven’t decided which party to support. Meanwhile, another 25 percent have declared support for Jamaat-e-Islami.

Among the respondents, 24 percent indicated their inclination to support independent candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), although 73 percent of them were unaware of the specific electoral symbols of the PTI candidates.

The data further stated that a total of eight percent of voters stated their intention to vote for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), while four percent mentioned Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P), and seven percent expressed support for the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N).

The Public Voice survey, with 10,000 calls and 1,800 interviews, revealed that 51 percent of respondents identified water, electricity, and gas shortages as the most pressing issues in Karachi.

Additionally, 20 percent prioritized peace and security, 19 percent unemployment, 16 percent inflation, 14 percent basic necessities, 14 percent poverty, nine percent education, seven percent health, and seven percent corruption.

In response to inquiries about their votes cast during the 2023 local elections, 35 percent mentioned Jamaat-e-Islami, 26 percent mentioned PTI, 24 percent did not specify any party, 7 percent mentioned PPP, 4 percent mentioned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and 2 percent mentioned PML-N.

Upon asked about their preferred political leaders, 76 percent named Hafiz Naeemur Rehman from Jamaat-e-Islami, 62 percent mentioned Imran Khan, 55 percent named Sirajul Haq, 41 percent mentioned Altaf Hussain, 41 percent mentioned Murtaza Wahab, 34 percent mentioned Nawaz Sharif, and only six percent named Mustafa Kamal as their choice.