PESHAWAR: A total of 32,839 candidates have filed nomination papers with the returning officers in 18 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for contesting elections in the second phase of local bodies’ polls, which would be held on March 31.

The candidates have filed nomination papers to contest elections for the seat of mayor and chairman of city and tehsil councils and different seats at of village and neighbourhood councils including general, youth, peasants, women and non-Muslims.

In the second phase, the local bodies’ elections would be held in 65 city and tehsil councils and 1,830 village and neighbourhood councils in 18 districts of the province.

According to the data compiled by Election Commission of Pakistan, 873 candidates have filed nomination papers with the relevant returning officers for contesting election for the seat of mayor and chairman in 65 city and tehsil councils.

Elections will be held in 18 districts on March 31

The ECP data reveals that 15,336 candidates have filed nomination papers for contesting elections for the general seats at village and neighbourhood councils. Each village and neighbouhood council has three seats of general councillors and each one of women, youth, peasant/worker and non-Muslim.

Similarly, 3,488 candidates have filed papers for contesting elections on the seats reserved for women, 7,016 for peasant/worker seats, 6,006 for youth seats and only 120 candidates have filed nomination papers for the seats reserved for non-Muslims.

According to the ECP’s schedule issued on February 9, the returning officers issued public notices on February 10 inviting the nomination papers. Following issuance of the public notices, the candidates submitted their nomination papers with returning offices from February 14 to 18.

The returning officers have already published names of the nominated candidates on February 19 while scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place from February 21 to 23.

Appeals against acceptance and rejection of the nomination papers can be filed from February 24 to 26, whereas the relevant appellate tribunal will decide the appeals until March 1.

The returning officers will publish the revised list of candidates on March 2 while last date for withdrawal of nomination papers by the candidates and publication of the revised lists of candidates is March 3.

The returning officers will allot election symbols to candidates on March 4. The polling will be held on March 31 and consolidation of results will take place on April 4.

The districts where local bodies’ elections would be held in the second phase include Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Kohistan Upper, Kohistan Lower, Kolai-Palas, Swat, Malakand, Shangla, Lower and Upper Dir, Upper and Lower Chitral, Kurram, Orakzai and North and South Waziristan.

The first phase of elections was held in 17 districts on December 19, 2021. Similarly, re-polling and fresh polls of the first phase was held on February 13 in 13 districts of the province. Fresh elections were held in those councils where one of the candidates had died while re-polling was held in those councils where polling was stopped due to violence on the day of the elections.

In the first phase of the local bodies elections, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) secured 23 slots of mayor/chairman of tehsil councils, followed by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf with 18 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 Parliamentarian got one seat.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2022