PTI's support crucial for JI in Karachi mayor election.

KARACHI -- As none of the contesting parties have got simple majority in the Jan 15 local government elections in Karachi division, two leading parties - the Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamaat-i-Islami - are dependent on the support of either each other or the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in the upcoming mayoral election.

According to the unofficial results which the Election Commission of Pakistan is in the process of finalising, the PPP has emerged as the single largest party by bagging 93 of the total 235 union committees, where elections were held on Sunday, followed by the JI (86 UCs), PTI (40 UCs), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (seven UCs), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (three UCs), Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (two UCs), Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (one UC) and three independent panels won as many UCs.

There are total 246 UCs in Karachi but elections on 10 seats could not be held because of deaths of some candidates while a PPP panel returned unopposed on the remaining one UC.

First, the ECP allocates seats reserved for women, labourers, youth, minorities, transgender and differently-abled persons in proportionate to the number of UCs won by each political party to complete the City Council, which would comprise of a total of 357 members since election for the remaining 10 UCs will be held later.

After that, the mayoral election will take place, probably after a month or two, and any party that has 179 members in the City Council will get the top office. According to preliminary calculations, the number of PPP seats in the City Council will be around 142 followed by JI's 133 and PTI's 60.

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The PPP, PML-N and JUI-F are coalition partner in the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led federal government, but the combined votes of the three parties are insufficient to get simple majority in the City Council.

The PPP and JI, if contest the poll separately, could not get simple majority - 179 votes - even if they manage to lure council members of every party other than those of the PTI's. And both parties will not need support from any other party if they made an...