PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan has released the final consolidated election results of 41 of the 65 tehsil councils in the province, where polling was held on Dec 19 for the post of mayor and chairman showing the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl winning 15 seats and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and opposition Awami National Party eight and six seats, respectively.

Independent candidates won in six of the tehsil councils, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz secured three seats, whereas Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamaat-i-Islami and Tehreek-i-Islahat Pakistan bagged one seat each.

Election results for 24 of the tehsil councils were not released due to different reasons as re-polling will be held in some of the polling stations in 20 of the councils, two results withheld by the ECP and recounting in one of the councils.

Polling in the first phase of Local Government elections was held in 64 of the 65 tehsil councils in 17 districts whereas in Dera City council in Dera Ismail Khan polls were postponed due to death of a candidate.

JUI-F bags 15 seats, PTI eight, ANP six

While elections in the Dera City council will be held on Feb 13, so far the ECP has not fixed date for the tehsils where re-polling will be held in some of the polling stations.

According to the spokesperson of ECP, re-polling will be held in 213 polling stations in 11 of the districts including that of Peshawar city council, where the JUI-F candidate Zubair Ali was in the lead The ECP has uploaded on its website the consolidated results of the 41 tehsils councils and that of 2382 village/ neighbourhood councils.

According to details, tehsil councils where re-polling will be held included Peshawar City and Pishtakhara in Peshawar, Nowshera and Jehangira in Nowshera district, Bara and Landikotal tehsils in Khyber district, Upper Mohmand in Mohmand district, Dara Adamkhel and Lachi in Kohat, Karak, Banda Daud shah and Takht-e-Nusrati in Karak district, Domel and Bakakhel in Bannu district, Lakki Marwat, Ghaznikhel and Serai Naurang in Lakki Marwat district , Khadokhel in Buner and Khar and Nawagai in Bajaur district.

Similarly, results in Badabher and Mathra tehsil councils of Peshawar are withheld by the ECP over applications of losing candidates.

Results of that of Bannu city council was also not uploaded due to a stay order issued by a court.

The seats won by JUI-F included that of Shah Alam tehsil council in Peshawar, Charssada and Shabqadar councils in Charssada, Katlang, Rustam and Takhtbhai tehsils in Mardan, Topi tehsil in Swabi, Baizai and Lower Mohmand in Mohmand district, Kohat tehsil council in Kohat, Wazir tehsil in Bannu, Betani tehsil in Lakki, Tank tehsil in Tank district and Thall tehsil in Hangu district.

Similarly, Buner proved to be the stronghold of the PTI, where it has won in four of the five tehsil councils including Chagharzai, Daggar, Gadezai and Gagra.

Other tehsil councils where PTI candidates were declared victorious included Hasankhel tehsil of Peshawar, Swabi tehsil in Swabi district, Gumbat in Kohat and Kulachi in DI Khan.

Moreover, ANP has won seats of chairmen/mayor in Chamkani council in Peshawar, Mandanr in Buner, Mardan and Garhi Kapura in Mardan district, Pabbi in Nowshera district and Razzar in Swabi district.

PML-N has won two seats in Khanpur and Ghazi tehsils Haripur and Lahor one in Swabi district.

Similarly, the PPP and JI won one seat each of that of Paharpur and Daraban tehsils, respectively, in DI Khan.

Independent candidates were declared elected in Miryan tehsil of Bannu, Paroa and Darazinda in DI Khan, Haripur tehsil in Haripur, Tangi tehsil in Charssada and Hangu tehsil in Hangu district.

The ECP has not released results of any of the five tehsil councils of Karak (three councils) and Bajaur (two councils) due to re-polling.

Meanwhile, the ECP has asked people in the 18 districts where elections will be held in the second phase to enroll themselves as voters and also to apply for correction in the electoral rolls if there was any error about their votes.

The ECP announced that while polling for the second phase would be held on Mar 27, the schedule would be announced later on. It was added that once the elections schedule was announced then no changes could be made in the electoral rolls of those 18 districts.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2022