Karachi by-polls eclipsed by low turnout

Published October 17, 2022
Clockwise from top left: Holding a little child in her arm, a citizen casts her vote; stall of a political party outside a polling station in NA-239; women queue up at a booth in NA-237; a group enters a station heavily guarded by police; a voter helps an elderly citizen in giving her thumb impression before casting a ballot; and the crucial moment of vote counting under way.
—Shakil Adil / Fahim Siddiqi / Faysal Mujeeb / White Star
Clockwise from top left: Holding a little child in her arm, a citizen casts her vote; stall of a political party outside a polling station in NA-239; women queue up at a booth in NA-237; a group enters a station heavily guarded by police; a voter helps an elderly citizen in giving her thumb impression before casting a ballot; and the crucial moment of vote counting under way. —Shakil Adil / Fahim Siddiqi / Faysal Mujeeb / White Star

Polling for by-elections on two National Assembly constituencies in Karachi — NA-237 in Malir and NA-239 in Korangi — was held in a peaceful manner, barring few incidents.

Former prime minister Imran Khan was contesting the by-polls on the two seats as a candidate of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party. In NA-237, he faced ruling Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Hakim Baloch and in NA-239 the prominent candidate against him was Nayyer Raza of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.

While the overall voter turnout was low, it was slightly better in NA-237. The boycott announced by the Altaf Hussain-led MQM, or MQM-London, was blamed for poor turnout in NA-239.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2022

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