BMG Secures All 30 Seats in Karachi Chamber Elections Amid Low Turnout
Businessmen Group takes control of every Managing Committee seat as rival alliance alleges irregularities during polling
Business leaders cast their votes during the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry elections.
KARACHI: The Businessmen Group (BMG) secured all 30 seats of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Managing Committee in elections held for the next two-year term, according to the final vote count.
The election featured candidates from the ruling BMG, the Businessmen Alliance (BMA) and independent candidate Abdul Rauf Ibrahim. BMG secured the 30 seats across the Corporate and Associate classes.
The Businessmen Alliance, meanwhile, alleged irregularities during the election process. Its representatives said they had raised their concerns but chose to remain in the process until voting and counting were completed.
3,582 Votes Cast in KCCI Election
Polling began at 9am and was scheduled to continue until 5:30pm. Due to heavy voter traffic, the polling period was extended by 30 minutes until 6pm.
A total of 3,582 votes were cast in the election. The Corporate Class had 8,843 registered voters, of whom 1,799, or 20.46%, exercised their right to vote.
In the Associate Class, 1,783 of 8,042 registered voters cast ballots, representing a turnout of 22.66%.
Overall voter participation remained close to 21%.
The chamber had established 50 polling booths to facilitate the voting process. Vote counting began later than expected after polling concluded.
Last year, 4,125 votes were recorded. This year’s turnout was therefore 543 votes lower than the previous election.
BMG Sweeps All 30 Seats
BMG won all 15 Corporate Class and 15 Associate Class seats.
In the Corporate Class, Shahid Ismail received the highest number of votes among successful candidates, securing 1,547 votes. The final BMG candidate in the successful list, Sadiq Abdul Razzaq, received 1,495 votes.
Among the unsuccessful candidates, Muhammad Saleem Khan secured 188 votes.
The Associate Class also produced a BMG sweep. Talat Mahmood topped the successful candidates with 1,497 votes, while Johar Iqbal, the final successful candidate, received 1,426 votes.
Among the unsuccessful candidates, Sharjeel Goplani received 254 votes.
Separate Corporate and Associate Polling
The 2026 election marked the first time that the Karachi Chamber held separate elections for the Corporate and Associate classes.
According to the report, the change followed an appeal by opposition representatives before the Director General Trade Organisations (DGTO).
The polling remained peaceful throughout the day. Election Commission chief Abdullah Zaki listened to complaints raised by opposition representatives and addressed issues during the voting process.
Several prominent business figures also cast their votes. They included Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, Abdul Rahim Janoo, Hassan Bakhshi, Hanif Gohar, Malik Khuda Bakhsh and Ikram Rajput, among others.
Businessmen Alliance Raises Objections
Businessmen Alliance leader Asif Sakhi and BMA candidate Sharjeel Goplani alleged that irregularities occurred during the election.
The alliance representatives, however, did not withdraw from the process. They said they wanted the election to continue through completion.
Their allegations were made during the election process, while the reported result gave BMG all 30 Managing Committee seats.
Low Turnout Raises Concern
Several business leaders expressed concern over the low voter turnout.
They called for steps to make participation easier for chamber members, particularly those associated with trade associations located in areas farther from the KCCI headquarters.
Some traders suggested introducing an online voting mechanism through trade associations to increase participation in future elections.
BMG leader Zubair Motiwala had reportedly sought 6,000 votes during the election campaign. The final turnout, however, remained significantly below that figure.
New KCCI Office-Bearers to Be Elected
The election for KCCI’s new office-bearers is scheduled for September 30.
Although the Managing Committee has been elected for a two-year term, BMG has nominated different candidates for the presidency during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 periods.
Talat Mahmood has been nominated for president for 2026-27. For 2027-28, BMG has nominated Shahid Ismail for the first six months and Ibrahim Kasumbi for the following six months.
This arrangement would result in three presidents serving during the two-year period.
BMG has nominated Aslam Pakhali for the position of Senior Vice President for the current year.
The election results set the stage for the new KCCI leadership as the chamber prepares to begin its next two-year term.
