ISLAMABAD: As many as 29,338 candidates are in run for the second phase of local government elections at village/neighbourhood and city/tehsil councils in the remaining 18 out of 35 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where polls are scheduled on the coming March 31.
These candidates include 651 contestants for the slots of mayors/chairmen of tehsil councils, according to the data issued by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Some 13,331 candidates are in contest on general seats for village/neighbourhood councils, 3,201 candidates for women seats, 6,602 for kisan seats, 5,446 for youth seats and 107 candidates are eying minorities seats, the electoral body’s data suggests.
The 18 districts where second phase of village/neighbourhood and tehsil/city council elections is scheduled are: Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, Shangla, Malakand, Kurram, Orakzai, Abbottabad, Battagram, Kolai Pallas, Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, North Waziristan and South Waziristan.
Initially, the LG elections were scheduled in these districts on January 16, but revised to March 27 by the ECP on a petition by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Member National Assembly (MNA) Murtaza Abbasi. Abbasi moved electoral body for delaying the LG polls on account of heavy snowfall in parts of the KP.
On February 4, the ECP suspended arrangements for LG polls following the Peshawar High Court (PHC)’s order to postpone the polls that were earlier scheduled on March 27. The PHC, on a petition moved by a citizen, directed the ECP to hold LG elections in the 18 districts after Ramzan, on account of ‘expected snowfall’ in several parts of these districts.
The ECP moved the Supreme Court against the PHC’s order revised LG polls date from March 27 to March 31.
The SC rejected the plea of the KP government to set aside the ECP’s decision to hold LG polls on March 31. The apex court, in its order, stated that the ECP was mandated to hold electoral schedule and hold LG polls.
Following the SC decision, the electoral body, on February 15, rejected the plea of the KP government to set aside the ECP’s decision to hold LG polls on March 31. The apex court, in its order, stated that the ECP was mandated to hold electoral schedule and hold LG polls.
On December 19, 2021, LG elections for village/neighbourhood and tehsil/city councils were held in 17 districts: Peshawar, Buner, Bajaur, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Karak, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Tank, Haripur, Khyber, Mohmand, Charsadda, Hangu, and Lakki Marwat.
The polls saw several incidents of widespread violence with fingers categorically pointed at the ECP by political and public circles for its failure to ensure peaceful polls.
The ECP finally held re-polling at 221 polling stations of the first phase on February 13.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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