Polling is underway in 42 Cantonment Boards across Pakistan to elect local government representatives. Some 12,400 personnel of the paramilitary Rangers and Army have been deployed at the polling stations for security.
Several candidates belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have been declared winners unopposed. 1,151 candidates are in the run of which 541 have been nominated by political parties while 610 are independents. Eighteen parties have fielded their candidates, but only nine of them have fielded more than five candidates. Only three parties have fielded their candidates in all four provinces.
The PTI has fielded 137 candidates — 93 in Punjab, 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 18 in Sindh and four in Balochistan. The PML-N has 128 candidates – 99 in Punjab, 13 in KP, 12 in Sindh and four in Balochistan. The PPP has fielded 89 candidates — 58 in Punjab, 22 in Sindh, eight in KP and one in Balochistan. The number of candidates fielded by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is 74 — 41 in Punjab, 28 in Sindh and seven in KP. Twenty-seven candidates are contesting on Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) tickets — 23 in Punjab, three in Sindh and one in KP. The MQM has fielded 27 candidates, all in Sindh. The Awami National Party is contesting on 13 seats in KP and Awami Muslim League seven seats in Punjab.
The 42 cantonments have been divided into 199 wards and 1,225 polling stations set up, of them 310 declared as sensitive and 130 highly sensitive. Of the 924 polling stations in Punjab, 193 have been declared sensitive and 102 highly sensitive.
Sindh
A total of 82 candidates are contesting for Karachi’s Clifton Cantonment Board. Of those, 40 belong to political parties while 42 are independent candidates. At least 29 polling stations across the city have been declared sensitive. Out of the 10 wards in Hyderabad, MQM candidates have been declared winners unopposed in two.
Punjab
Over 200 candidates are in the run for the Lahore Cantonment Board elections.
The cantonment board has been divided into 20 wards which includes Walton, Defence, Cantt Saddar, Mian Mir Colony, Qainchi and other areas.
Out of the 10 wards in Multan, PTI candidates have been declared winners in two while PML-N has secured one ward.
An independent candidate has been declared winner unopposed in Mangla Cantonment.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
153 candidates are contesting for LG polls in 31 wards across KP.
All polling stations in Peshawar have been declared sensitive.
Balochistan
41 candidates are in the run for seven positions in cantonment boards in Balochistan.
33 candidates are contesting for five seats in Quetta while eight candidates are in the run for two seats in Loralai.
Candidates contesting for the two seats in Zhob cantonment boards have both been declared winners unopposed.