HYDERABAD: Polling in Cantonment Board’s elections here concluded in Hyderabad at about 5: 00 pm on Sunday and vote counting process was started at all 35 polling stations.
According to ECP officials, a large number of eligible voters exercised their right of franchise in all 10 wards of Cantonment Board Hyderabad (CBH).
A less than moderate voter turnout was observed during the day.
Some 48, 965 people were registered to vote including 27, 073 male and 21820 female voters.
There were 3, 556 registered voters in ward 1, 5, 483 in ward 2, 3, 341 in ward 3, 3, 673 in ward 4, 7, 121 in ward 5, 3, 826 in ward 6, 6, 500 in ward 7, 4, 753 in ward 8, 6, 610 in ward 9 and 3, 930 in ward 10.
The ward 5 is the biggest ward in terms of the registered votes and ward 3 the smallest one.
Five of the independent candidates reportedly belong to the MQM-P restoration committee which is headed by Farooq Sattar.
A total of 129 nomination papers were filed but the Returning Officer accepted 85 nominations and rejected 44, However, the appellate forums restored 16 of the rejected forms.
But later 23 candidates withdrew from the elections and 4 others retired on Saturday.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had already completed arrangements for holding of CBH polls in a fair, free and transparent manner.
As many as 54 candidates of different political parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), Jamat-i-Islami, and the independents contested CBH polls for which 35 polling stations and 130 polling booths (66 for male and 64 for female voters) had been established.
Three major political parties, PTI, PPP and MQM-P have fielded candidates in all the 10 wards of the CBH.
The voting process began at 8: 00 am and concluded at about 5: 00 pm.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and local administration have adopted strict security measures during Cantonment Board elections.
The Police and law enforcement agencies were deployed outside polling stations to maintain order during the polling process.