Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has endorsed the party’s unconditional support to Jamaat-i-Islami’s candidate Hafiz Naeemur Rehman in the election for Karachi mayor slot, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.
PTI Karachi President Akram Cheema on Wednesday issued the notification in this regard.
The decision gives enough numerical strength to the two-party alliance to successfully bring in their joint candidate for the key post of the local government set-up.
It all started with the statement of the PTI announcing support for the JI candidate after several rounds of consultation.
In the recently concluded Karachi local bodies polls, PPP emerged as the largest party but it failed to secure a simple majority of 179 votes needed for the seat of Karachi mayor.
PPP will need at least 22 seats even after an alliance with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
In terms of the number of seats, PPP is the largest party in Karachi with 98 seats so far, followed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) with 89 seats and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with 42 seats; however, no party has a simple majority.
There are a total of 246 Union Committees in Karachi and the cumulative number of City Council members, including those on reserved seats, is 367.
A simple majority in the 367-member house is required for a candidate to be elected. In other words, a candidate needs 184 votes to win the coveted slot.
As per the current party position, no single party alone can secure the mayoral seat. The PPP has 99 seats, JI has 86, PTI has 41, PML-N eight, and JUI-F 3, while the TLP and independents hold one seat each.
As per the current party position, no single party alone can secure the mayoral seat. The PPP has 99 seats, JI has 86, PTI has 41, PML-N eight, and JUI-F 3, while the TLP and independents hold one seat each.
The ECP is currently withholding the results on six seats on the court orders.
Now, let's examine how reserved seats are allocated and see who will get what on the basis of this formula.
Multiply the number of seats a party has grabbed by 100 and divide it by 246. The resulting number represents the percentage of seats the party will receive in each category of reserved seats.
For example, if we multiply the PPP's 99 seats by 100 and divide it by 246, the result is 40.24. Therefore, the PPP will be allocated an average of 40.24 percent of seats in all categories.
Initially, seats will be allocated based on 40 percent of each category. The remaining seats will be redistributed based on the party with the highest number after the decimal point, in the same order. The house has a total of 81 reserved seats for women. If we multiply this number by 40.59 and round it off, the result is 32.87, meaning the PPP will receive 32 reserved seats for women in the initial phase.
Similarly, according to the number of seats won by all parties, using the aforementioned formula, seats will be distributed not only for women but for all categories of reserved seats.
Considering the incomplete results, the PPP is expected to receive 148 seats, JI 131, PTI 60, PML-N 11, and JUI-F 4 seats. It is clear that no single party can secure the mayoral position alone.
With the support of PTI, the JI candidate has a good chance of winning the slot of the mayor.