Daily Times

KARACHI: A change in the law raising the minimum number of votes needed to claim amount deposited by candidates as security is expected to bring additional revenue for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from the metropolis, as there are several constituencies where no losing candidate has been able to cross the threshold.

Of the 346 candidates in the race for 21 National Assembly seats from the city, only 27 have been able to poll enough votes to claim their security deposits.

After the Election Act of 2017, the threshold of votes required to claim the security deposits is a fourth of the total votes. Earlier, the threshold was set at an eighth of the total votes.

In NA-246, none of the losing candidates including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilwal Bhutto Zardari have polled enough votes to claim their security deposits. The total votes polled in the constituency are around 200,000, setting the threshold for security deposit somewhere around 50,000. However, the winner here, Abdul Shakoor Shaad of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, has bagged 52,750 votes. The first runner up from the far right Tehrik-e-Labbaik has polled 42,345 votes and the second runner up, Bilawal, has polled 39,325.

Other major leaders who stand to lose their deposits because of low vote shares in contests they have lost are Mutahhida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Farooq Sattar, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) Miftah Ismail, Muhajir Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Afaq Ahmed, Pak Sarzameen Party’s (PSP) Syed Mustafa Kamal, PPP’s Shehla Raza, ANP’s Shahi Syed, Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi amir Dr. Meraj ul Huda Siddiqui.

As many as 16 MQM-P candidates, including Ali Raza Abdi and Dr. Abdul Rauf Siddiqi, have failed to get enough votes to claim their security deposits. PPP’s 17 candidate who stand to lose their deposits also include Abdul Aziz Memon.

All of the PSP and ANP candidates have failed to secure the required number of votes.

The 319 candidates who stand to lose their deposits also include the founder of Barabri Party Pakistan (BPB) Jawad Ahmed, and Sunni Tehrek’s (ST) Sarwar Aijaz Qadri.

Published in Daily Times, August 2^nd 2018.