PESHAWAR: Local bodies’ elections are being held in 17 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today (Sunday). The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed all arrangements for holding free, fair and transparency in the selected 17 districts of the province in first phase of the polls.
The polling would start at 8:00 AM and continued till 5:00 PM without any break in these districts where over 77,000 policemen and law enforcers would be deployed outside of polling stations and booths for security of voters.
Quick Response Force’s personnel would be deployed to ‘nearby areas of responsibility’ for immediately responding to any untoward situation on the polling day.
A total 9,223 polling stations and 28,892 polling booths were set up out of which 4,188 polling stations were declared sensitive and 2,507 most sensitive. CCTV cameras have been installed on sensitive and most sensitive polling stations and display of arms or carrying of weapons and electronic devices including mobile phones inside polling stations would not be allowed.
Over 12.668 million registered voters including 7,015,767 male and 5,653,095 female would decide fate of 37,752 candidates contesting for different seats in Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Khyber, Mohmand, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Karak, Hangu, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, DI Khan, Tank, Haripur, Buner and Bajaur districts. About 689 candidates are in run for 689 tehsils, 19,285 for general seats of village and neighbourhood councils, 3,870 for women, 7,428 for farmers and labour, 6,011 for youth and 293 for minorities.
In the wake of Peshawar High Court’s judgment, LG elections are being held on political parties’ basis in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where candidates have fielded political heavyweights as well as newcomers to secure maximum seats.
The mainstream political parties have pitched experienced candidates and newcomers to win maximum seats. For Peshawar tehsil mayor seat, PTI has awarded ticket to business tycoon Rizwan Bangash, ANP’s Sher Rehman, PPP’s Arbab Zarak Khan, JUIF’s Zubar Ali and Jumat-e-Islami’s Behrullah Khan advocate whom were trying luck on Jumat-e-Islami’s seat.
The candidates, who won tehsils’ seats in five divisional headquarters at Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu and DI Khan cities would be called ‘Mayor’ while elected candidates of 61 others tehsils be called Chairman. Complaints cell has been set up for polling day at Peshawar where people can register their complaints on phone number 091-9214137.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021