All set for NA-4 by election in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: All arrangements have been completed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for free, transparent and peaceful holding of by-election in the National Assembly constituency NA-4 Peshawar that would be held on Thursday (tomorrow).

The polling will start at 8am and would continue till 5pm without break. However, voters in premises of polling stations would be allowed to cast their votes.

The district administration has announced public holiday in NA 4 Peshawar for facilitation of voters.

ECP official here told APP on Wednesday that a total of 15 candidates would try their luck in this by-election including six from different political parties and nine independents. However, tough electoral battle was expected among Nasir Musazai PMLN, Asad Gulzar Khan PPP, Arbab Amir Ayub PTI, Wasil Farooq Jummat e Islami and Khushdil Khan ANP.

The candidates and their supporters ended their election campaign by last mid night (12am) as directed by the Commission. The seat was fallen vacant due to the death of former MNA Gulzar Khan of PTI in August 28, 2017.

The total registered voters in the constituency are 3,97,904 including 2,35,164 male and 1,62,740 female for whom 269 polling stations including 147 male, 111 female and 11 combined were setup. As many as 837 polling booths including 492 for men and 345 for women were also established. As many as 269 presiding officers, 837 assistant presiding officers and 837 polling officers would discharge their duties on the polling day.

For the first time in the country, the ECP would use the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in this by-election on a trial basis in 35 polling stations. Approximately, 47,255 voters are expected to cast their votes through EVMs along with the manual voting process.

The processing time of casting one vote through these machines would take 20 seconds and this new technology was being introduced to examine the performance and functioning of the machines and to record voters’ problems in using this latest technology.

The roads, squares and intersections are decorated d with posters, panaflex banners and campaign materials by candidates with different catchy slogans to attract especially young voters.

Great enthusiasm was being witnessed among young voters as majority of them would exercise their right of franchise for first time during the by-election.

The political observers said by-election was being seen as a litmus test for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) popularity in the province, especially with regards to 2018 general election.

They said NA-4 results would determine popularity graph of the ruling party (PTI) in Peshawar besides others political parties in KP.

NA 4 was comprised on both urban and rural areas with main towns and villages include Hazarkhwani, Urmar, Pandu, Baghwana, Mathani, Tarnab, Badabair and Mathani where people are mostly associated with agriculture, bricks industries, government jobs and oversees employment.

The constituency has a lot of problems like poor roads conditions, lack of educational and health institutes, scarcity of clean drinking water, solid waste management system, unemployment, poor access roads from agriculture fields to markets, poverty and solid efforts are needed to address these issues.

In 2013 general election, PTI late MNA Gulazar Khan had won this seat after securing 55,134 votes whereas PMLN Nasir Musazi stood runner up with 20,412 votes.

This seat was won by ANP's late Arbab Zahir Khan for record four times. NA-4 lies in the south of the provincial capital along Kohat and Bara roads sharing a border with Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, Frontier Regions of Kohat and Peshawar.