Karachi mayor election — the game of numbers

Karachi: Elections for Karachi’s mayor and deputy mayor are under way with the Pakistan People’s Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami making every effort to garner support of council members to get the two coveted seats.

The Jamaat-e-Islami with 130 seats in total has the backing of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which has a total of 62 seats including several disgruntled members.

Since August 29, 2020, Karachi has been without elected representatives.

Earlier this year, local body elections resulted in the PPP winning 104 seats, JI 87 and the PTI 42 seats. To secure the mayoral slot, a total of 184 seats are required.

In addition, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has 14 seats, the Jamiat Ulema Islam has foud seats, and the Tehreek Labaik has one seat. Overall, 246 union committee chairmen have been elected, with 121 reserved seats distributed among the winning parties based on their representation.

To secure the mayoral position, a party needs to secure 184 seats, but no single party holds a simple majority.

If Hafiz Naeem gets the votes of all candidates (JI 130 and PTI 62), he will have a total of 193 votes, and he can easily be elected as the new mayor.

On the other hand, the PPP has 155 seats and it has the support of the PML-N with 14 seats and Jamiat Ulema Islam with four seats and the party has the support of 173 members.

However, the Jamaat-e-Islami faces a challenge from a forward bloc within the PTI, comprising approximately 30 members. If these members do not vote for the Jamaat-e-Islami, the party’s total votes would reduce to 163, while the PPP will have 173 valid votes.

Meanwhile, the PTI has decided to de-seat local representatives who would not vote for Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, making their votes crucial in this intriguing scenario. Both major parties are now vying for the PTI’s support.

Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has expressed confidence and said that despite some members leaving their ranks, they have made the necessary arrangements to protect their mandate. Rehman also accused the PPP of attempting to manipulate the mayoral election while emphasizing the popularity of the JI among the people of Karachi.