Neck and neck election-frays are expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial assembly elections as the parties have fielded their influential or relatively strong contestants in many constituencies.
As many as 99 members of the KP provincial legislature are elected on general seats through direct elections. Due to killings of ANP candidate Haroon Bilour and Ikramullah Khan Gandapur of PTI in terror attacks, elections for said two constituencies have been cancelled and by-elections will be held later.
All political parties tried their level best to field relatively strong candidates with a hope to get maximum seats in the KP Assembly that could accentuate their position and win them provincial government.
In district Swat, the provincial chapter president of PML-N, Ameer Muqam is contesting from two constituencies against ANP and PTI contenders, respectively. In Lower and Upper Dir, PPP is battling against the religio-political parties' alliance (MMA). Interesting electoral fray is likely to be seen in Buner where the MMA's nominee is facing a member of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) who is contesting independently, although JI is a component of the MMA.
The PTI and the PPP may give tough time to PML-N in Mansehra. Tripartite electoral contests among PTI, MMA and ANP are likely in Swabi. Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Sherpao is flexing political muscles against ANP in Charsadda.
In PK-1 (Chitral), PPP's Ghulam Mohammad is facing Hidayat-ur-Rehman of MMA and Israruddin of PTI. Ameer Muqam of PML-N is facing Syed Jaffar Shah of ANP from PK-2 (Swat). In 2013, the latter had defeated the former who is also contesting from PK-4 (Swat) where Azizullah Gran of PTI is key rival contestant.
The PK-5 is heading for a quadripartite contest amongst Prince Miangul Amirzeb (PPP), Fazal Hakim (PTI), Wajid Ali (ANP) and Mohammad Amin (MMA). Former special assistant to the chief minister Dr Amjad Ali of PTI has been challenged by Sher Shah of ANP. In PK-6 constituency, Amjad is facing Hussain Ahmad Kanju of MMA and Waqar Ahmad of ANP and a PPP candidate as well.
In PK-8, PTI's Mohibullah is fielded against PML-N's Azmat Ali Khan, MMA's Fazal Subhan and PPP's Said Akbar Khan. In PK-9, former provincial minister Ayub Khan is facing Mahmood Khan of PTI, Amjad Ali of MMA and Syed Nasir Ali Shah of PPP.
In PK-10 (Dir Upper), a close contest is expected between Mohammad Ali of MMA and Badshah Saleh of PPP while PK-11 awaits an interesting electoral battle by PTI's woman candidate Hameeda Shah with contenders from rival parties.
In PK-11, Sahibzada Sanaullah of PPP is facing Azam Khan of MMA and Hayat Khan of PML-N. In PK-12, the PPP stalwart and former federal minister Najmuddin is fielded against the JI/MMA candidate Inayatullah Khan.
In PK-13, Mohammad Zamin Khan of PPP is facing Shahnawaz Khan of MMA, Malik Mohammad Zeb Khan of ANP and Mohammad Azam Khan of PT. In PK-14, Bakht Baidar Khan of PPP has an edge over Dr Zakirullah of MMA because of intra-MMA differences over their candidate.
In PK-15, two former provincial ministers Nawabzada Mohamood Zeb Khan of PPP and Muzaffar Said advocate of MMA are facing each other. The ANP, PML-N and PTI candidates are also in the field.
In PK-16, a close contest is expected between Aizazul Mulk Afkari of MMA against Bahadar Khan of ANP. Sirbiland Khan of PTI and Mohammad Iqbal of PPP are also in the run.
In PK-17, Saeed Gul of PTI is facing Muzaffar Khan of PPP whereas Liaquat Ali Khan of PTI and ANP's Naeem Jan are also in the field. In PK-18, the provincial president PPP Mohammad Hamayun Khan is facing Shakeel Khan of PTI, Amjad Ali Shah of MMA. In PK-19, the record three-time winner Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha is contesting against Musawir Khan Ghazi of PTI and Shafiullah Khan of ANP.
In PK-20 (Buner), it will be an interesting electoral-fray because MMA's allied parties Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and JUI-F have failed to field a joint candidate of their alliance as Bakht Jehan Khan of JI is facing Maulana Fazal Ghafoor of JUI-F in addition to Bakht Afsar of ANP, Riaz Khan of PTI and Saifullah Khan of PTI.
In PK-21, Qaiser Wali Khan of ANP is facing Nasir Ali of MMA and Talimand Khan of AWP. In PK-22, Sardar Hussain Babak of ANP is fielded against Bakht Biland Khan of QWP, Syed Mohammad Shamsher of PPP and Abdul Kabir Khan of PTI.
In PK-23 (Shangla), former spokesman to KP's PTI government, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai is facing Mohammad Reshad Khan of PML-N, Dr Afsar-ul-Mulk of PPP while Mohammad Yar and Mutawakil Khan are the candidates of MMA and ANP, respectively.
In PK-24, Fazalullah Khan of PML-N is in the run against Abdul Maulla of PTI, Faisal Zeb Khan of ANP, Sher Alam Khan of MMA and Sajjad Ahmad of QWP. In PK-29 (Battagram), Taj Mohammad Tarand of PTI is facing Wali Mohammad Khan of PML-N. In PK-30, Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah is PPP's contestant against Mian Zia-ur-Rehman of PML-N and independent Mazhar Ali Qasim.
Similarly, in PK-32, three former provincial ministers Ibrar Tanoli, Habib-ur-Rehman Tanoli and Mohammad Shuja Khan are in the field. In PK-35 Torghar Zarin Gul of PTI is facing Laiq Mohammad Khan of ANP. In PK-37, a tough and close contest is expected between independent Sardar Mohammad Idrees Khan and Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha of PML-N while another neck and neck contest is expected between Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani of PTI and Inayatullah Jadoon of PML-N in PK-39 constituency.
In PK-40, Akbar Ayub Khan, a kin of the former military dictator Ayub Khan is contesting against Qazi Mohammad Asad. In PK-44 (Swabi), KP Assembly's outgoing speaker Asad Qaiser is facing challenge from Babar Saleem of PML-N. Sikandar Irfan of PPP is in the run against Abdul Karim Khan of PTI in PK-45. A close and triangular battle is also expected among Shahram Khan Tarakai of PTI, Amir Rehman of ANP and Ijaz Akram Bacha of PML-N in PK-47.
In PK-49 (Mardan), Tufail Anjum of PTI is facing PPP's woman candidate, Khaista Begum, widow of late veteran parliamentarian Abdul Akbar Khan. In PK-50, Mohammad Atif Khan, a close aide of PTI chief Imran is contesting against Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti of PPP and Tajul Amin Jabal of MMA. In PK-53, former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti of ANP is facing Ikramullah Shahid of PPP.
In PK-54, a close contest is expected among Iftikhar Mashwani of PTI, Sher Afghan of ANP, Nadir Shah of MMA and Malik Ejaz Khan of PPP. In PK-55, Jamshid Khan Mohmand of PML-N is battling against Rahimdad Khan of PPP and Fazal Rabbani of MMA.
In PK-56 constituency from district Charsadda, Sikandar Hayat Sherpao of QWP is facing Khalid Khan of PTI while former traditional rivals Arshad Umerzai and Shakeel Bashir Umerzai are facing each other in PK-57.
A crucial electoral battle between Aimal Wali Khan, the son of Asfandyar Wali Khan and Sultan Mohammad Khan of PTI is likely to take place in PK-58 while a very tough triangular contest is also expected in PK-62 Nowshera among Basir Khattak of PPP, Idrees Khattak of PTI and Khalil Abbas Khattak of ANP.
In PK-63, senior PPP leader Liaquat Shabab is facing Mian Jamshiduddin Kakakhel of PTI, Qurban Ali Khan of MMA and Mohammad Shahid of ANP. In PK-65, Mian Iftikhar Hussain of ANP is facing Mian Khaliq-ur-Rehman of PTI, Daud Khattak of PPP and Tariq Khattak of MMA.
Former chief minister Pervez Khattak is contesting from two provincial assembly constituencies PK-61 and PK-64. In PK-61, his main rival candidates are Pervez Ahmad Khan of ANP and Mohammad Aslam of PPP and in PK-64, he is facing Mohammad Shahid of ANP, Mian Yousaf Jamal Shah Kakakhel of PPP and Pervez Khan Khattak of MMA.
Similarly, fourteen provincial assembly constituencies which fall in the provincial capital city Peshawar may see tough electoral contests. In PK-66, Kiramatullah Khan of PPP, Hafiz Hashmat of MMA, Mahmood Jan of PTI and Hashim Babar of QWP are in the rung.
In PK-67: Razaullah Khan (PPP) Asif Iqbal Daudzai (MMA), Arbab Wasim Hayat (PTI) and Malik Nasim of ANP are contestants. In PK-68, Arbab Jehandad Khan of PTI is facing Malik Tehmash Khan of PPP and Mumtaz Khan of ANP while in PK-69, Ishtiaq Umar is PTI candidate against Haji Mohammad Sharif of PPP. Khalid Waqar Chamkani of MMA and Saqibullah Khan of ANP, two independents Arbab Usman and Shakil Afridi are also in the run that would divide PTI vote bank.
In PK-70, Shah Farman of PTI is facing Khushdil Khan Advocate of ANP and Mohammad Shafiq Amini of Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan. In PK-71, Shah Farman's rivals are Javed Khan of MMA and Sibghatullah of PML-N. In PK-72, Ashfaq Ahmad Khalil of ANP is facing Kashif Azam of MMA and Faheem Ahmad of PTI.
In PK-73, Maulana Amanullah Haqqani of PTI is facing Yasin Khan Khalil of PPP and Taimur Saleem Jhagra of PTI. In PK-74, Arbab Zarak Khan is contender from PPP against Fida Gul advocate of PTI while Ateef-ur-Rehman of MMA and Mohammad Ibrar of ANP are also in the run.
In PK-75, Aqil Shah of ANP is struggling against Misbahuddin of PPP, Wajidullah Khan of PTI, Ibrahim Qasmi of Rah-e-Haq Party and squash legend Qamar Zaman, who is contesting as a PML-N's nominated candidate.
In PK-76, two former provincial ministers Ziaullah Afridi of PPP and Haji Hidayatullah of ANP are facing each other in addition to Asif Khan of PTI. Syed Zahir Ali Shah of PPP is facing challenge from the PTI's new face Kamran Khan Bangash and Haji Mohammad Omar of ANP.
In Kohat, a tough election is expected in PK-82, where former provincial governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah is contesting against Qalb-e-Hassan of MMA and Ziaullah Bangash of PTI. Two former provincial ministers Farid Khan Toofan of PTI and Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel are facing each other in PK-85 Karak. Malik Zafar Azam of MMA and Qasim Khattak of PTI are running for PK-86 Karak.
In PK-94 Tank, former deputy speaker National Assembly, Faisal Karim Kundi is facing Ghulam Qadir Bhettni of ANP and Irfan Kundi of PTI while in PK-96 Ahmad Khan Kundi of PPP is facing Abdul Haleem Qasuria of MMA, Tariq Rahim Kundi of PTI and Samiullah Alizai who is an independent contestant. In PK-98, Maulana Lutf-ur-Rehman of MMA is facing Omar Farooq Miankhel.