PESHAWAR: Following the completion of the re-polling in the first phase of the local body elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has emerged on top by securing 24 slots of the mayor/chairman of tehsil councils followed by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf with 17 seats.

The independent candidates won 10 such seats, Awami National Party seven, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz three, Jamaat-i-Islami and Tehreek-i-Islahat Pakistan two each and Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP) one.

While the JUI-F clinched the most important slot of Peshawar city’s mayor, it suffered defeat against the PTI on a significant slot of Dera city’s mayor in Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s hometown.

Zubair Ali, son of former senator Haji Ghulam Ali of the JUI-F, was elected as Peshawar city mayor by receiving 63,610 votes against 51,523 votes of PTI’s Mohammad Rizwan Khan.

Tehreek-i-Insaf secures 17 chairman, mayor positions, independents 10 after completion of first LG poll phase

PTI’s Umer Amin Khan, brother of federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur, was declared successful for the DI Khan city mayor with 63,753 votes against JUI-F nominee Mohammad Kafeel Ahmad’s 38,891 votes.

Former National Assembly deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi of the PPP received 32,788 votes.

Before the re-polling of Feb 13, the results of 46 slots of mayor/chairman of tehsil councils were clear. Of them, the JUI-F had 18 seats, PTI nine, ANP six, independents six, PML-N three and PPPP, TIP and JI one each.

The ruling PTI fared well during the re-polling in 19 of the tehsil councils and fresh polls on the seat of Dera city mayor.

Out of the 20 slots, the PTI has emerged victorious against eight, whereas the JUI-F bagged six seats, independents three and ANP, JI and TIP one each.

The ruling party swept polls in the southern Karak district by winning all three seats of the chairman of Karak, Takht-i-Nusrati and Banda Daud Shah tehsil councils.

Similarly, its candidates were elected as the chairmen of the two tehsil councils in Nowshera i.e. Nowshera and Jehangira.

PTI’s Ishaq Khattak, who is the son of defence minister Pervez Khattak, was declared winner as the Nowshera tehsil chairman with 49,310 votes against 41,051 votes secured by JUI-F’s Mufti Hakim Ali.

The third tehsil council of Pabbi in Nowshera district was won by the ANP’s nominee in the Dec 18 polls.

In another southern district of Lakki Marwat, the independent candidates backed by the influential Saifullah family were elected the chairmen of Lakki Marwat and Ghazni Khel tehsil councils, whereas the third tehsil council of Serai Nurang went to the JI candidate.

In Buner, re-polling was held on a single polling station of Khado Khel tehsil wherein ANP’s Gulzar Hussain was elected the chairman. In the other six tehsil councils of Buner, the PTI had won five slots of chairmen. One council’s chairmanship was claimed by ANP.

JUI-F candidate Syed Badshah was elected the chairman of Khar tehsil council in Bajaur tribal district, whereas PTI’s Dr Khalilur Rehman was elected the chairman of Nawagai tehsil council.

Similarly, the TIP, which had earlier won against the slot of Jamrud tehsil council in Khyber tribal district, also won another slot in the re-poll as its candidate, Shah Khalid, was elected the chairman of Landi Kotal tehsil council. The chairman of the third tehsil in the district i.e. Bara tehsil went to the JUI-F.

In Bannu district, the PTI and JUI-F candidates were elected the chairmen of Domail and Bakakhel tehsil councils, respectively.

Hafiz Taj Wali of the JUI-F succeeded in the election for the Upper Mohmand tehsil council’s chairman office.

Independent candidate Shahid Iqbal was elected the chairman of Dara Adamkhel tehsil council in Kohat district.

Overall, the JUI-F performance in the provincial capital remained impressive as its candidates won five of the seven slots of mayor/chairman of the city/tehsil councils, whereas the PTI and ANP clinched one seat each.

Of the 14 Peshawar MPAs, 11 belong to the PTI and three to the ANP.

Polling in the first phase of the local body elections was held for 64 of the 65 tehsil councils in 17 districts, whereas in Dera city council, polls were postponed due to the death of a candidate. However, re-polling has to be held in some polling stations due to which results in 19 of the councils were withheld.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2022