HYDERABAD, Jul 06 (APP):More than 15 percent of the local government election candidates contesting for the seats of chairman, vice chairman and general members in the July 24 polls of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) have returned unopposed.
According to the statistics released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday, some 18 chairman and vice chairman have been elected uncontested.
Likewise, 105 general members faced no electoral fray in their respective wards.
In 7 out of 160 union councils (UCs), all the candidates including chairman, vice chairman and general members of the four wards have been elected unopposed.
The UC numbers are 18, 55, 77, 145, 155, 158 and 159.
In 6 other UCs, including UC numbers 61, 80, 81, 96, 147 and 160, the candidates on 4 out of the 5 seats have won uncontested.
Five chairman and vice chairman are among the 24 winning candidates in those UCs.
The unopposed chairman and vice chairman have been elected without a contest from the UC numbers 13, 18, 55, 56, 57, 77, 80, 81, 96, 145, 147, 152, 154, 155, 156, 158, 159 and 160.
In all 54 UCs out of 160 in the HMC have elected 1 to 5 candidates unopposed.
Some 3 candidates each, including only one chairman and vice chairman among the15, have won without voting in 5 UCs including UC numbers 15, 60, 97, 125 and 156.
In the same way, 13 UCs bearing numbers 13, 57, 58, 62, 71, 73, 74, 79, 120, 126, 148, 152 and 154 have candidates returning unopposed.
Four chairman and vice chairman are among those 26 seats.
Another 23 UCs have given away one seat each without witnessing the electoral battle.
Only one of those 23 UCs, the UC number 56, has elected chairman and vice chairman uncontested while the remaining 23 winners are general members representing the wards.
The electoral fray is likely to be witnessed on 677 seats, including 162 of chairman and vice chairman and 515 of the general members on July 24.
An overwhelming majority of the unopposed winners belong to Pakistan Peoples Party.
Some 1.1542 million people are registered to vote in Hyderabad.
According to the tentative elections plan, as many as 820 polling stations comprising 2,530 polling booths will be set up for the election day.
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