PESHAWAR: Amid stringent security arrangements, re-polling in 13 districts for local government elections on Sunday was conducted, which largely remained peaceful. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), re-polling was held on various seats of local councils where elections were terminated either due to deteriorated situation on polling day or death of the contesting candidates during first phase of the local bodies’ polls.
The thirteen districts include Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Buner, Bajaur, Karak, Khyber and Mohmand. The re-polling process continued from 8 am till 5 p.m. without any break. More than 500 polling stations were set up in total for the re-polling for KP LG polls.
Unprecedented security measures were taken place, especially in the most sensitive polling stations in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Walk-through-gates and CCTV also installed, while police personnel frisk and conduct body search of voters before entering the polling stations/booths.
It was reportedly all the 52 polling stations in Bakakhel and Domail tehsils of Bannu district declared ‘most sensitive.’ The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police said that 3,080 police personnel were deployed in the Bannu district and more forces remained on high alert in case of any emergency.
The police informed that a total of 36 vehicles of the Quick Response Force (QRF) also carried out patrolling the district throughout the day. According to the ECP, the re-polling was held on seats of city mayor, tehsil chairman, neighbourhood and village council seats where the polling had stopped during the first phase of local body elections due to brawl and the deaths of candidates.
The total registered voters in the aforementioned 13 districts is around 3,31,150 including 1,56,541 male and 1,74, 609 female Similarly, nearly 344516 voters including 187010 male and 157506 female exercised their right of franchise to elect the City Mayor Seat in Dera Ismail Khan.
A total of 13,244 voters would exercise their right of vote in Peshawar, 2957 in Nowshera, 55603 in Khyber, 4473 Mohmand, 74119 in Karak and 1052 in Buner, according to the sources.
Similarly, the sources said 2727 voters would exercise their right of franchise in Charsadda, 6361 voters would vote in Mardan, 7225 voters in Kohat, 11031 in Lakki Marwat, and 7462 voters would exercise their franchise in Bajaur.
It is worth mentioning here that the elections to these Union Councils were postponed due to riots, quarrels or deaths. Secretary ECP Omar Hameed Khan directed a special focus on security, ensuring the installation of CCTV cameras and increase in the number of security personnel during re-polling in sensitive polling stations of KP.
He said that during the first phase of LG elections some unpleasant incidents occurred in polling stations of various districts, which resulted in the suspension of polling.
Khan called for the implementation of the directives of the ECP in this regard in letter and spirit to ensure re-polling in these polling stations takes place in a peaceful environment. Earlier on February 10, the ECP had announced that the voting for the second phase of KP LG polls will be held on March 31.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022