PESHAWAR: The election campaigns has reached to its peak in 17 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where over 12.7 million registered voters would decide fate of 37, 752 candidates contesting for seats of mayor, chairman at tehsils councils and general councilors at village and neighborhood councils on December 19, 2021.
As only four days left in the local government elections in Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Khyber, Mohmand, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Karak, Hangu, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, DI Khan, Tank, Haripur, Buner and Bajaur districts, the electioneering has reached to its climax in these districts where around 37, 752 candidates are in run for mayor and chairman at tehsil level, general councillor, youth, labour/ farmers, minority and woman in village and neighbourhood councils, sources in provincial election commission told reporter on Tuesday.
Local bodies’ election would be held on party basis where candidates and their supporters expedited door to door election campaigns and addressing public meetings to persuade the voters. In these districts, 689 candidates were trying their luck for 66 tehsils where an elected administrative head in the five divisional headquarters i.e Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu and DI Khan’s cities would be called mayor while administrative heads of remaining 61 tehsils would be called chairman respectively.
In Peshawar, PTI, PPP, JUIF, ANP and Jammat-e-Islami have fielded relatively new faces for the slot of City’s mayor. PTI has fielded business tycoon Rizwan Bangash who has rich experience in management of civic services and emerged as strong candidate for Peshawar mayor seat due to PTI’s large vote bank in the provincial capital. He is taking credit for mega development projects completed by his party including BRT providing great relief to people.
As many as 77, 000 policemen and law enforcers would provide security to voters on LG election day. The policemen and law enforcers would be deployed outside of the polling stations where entry of arms and electronic devices would not be allowed inside the polling stations.
PPP has awarded ticket to Zarak Khan, a scion of Arbab family and grandson of the late KP Chief Minister Arbab Mohammad Jehangir Khan Khalil. He is the son of former federal minister for Communication, Arbab Alamgir Khan Khalil and Asma Arbab and can surprise many.
JUIF’s candidate Zubair Ali is the son of former Senator Haji Ghulam Ali and is enjoying the support of JUIF, PMLN and Qoumi Watan Party (QWP) posing serious threats to political rival.
ANP has awarded ticket to party loyalist Sher Rehman who is mainly concentrating on the nationalist’s votes and started addressing public gatherings to woo voters ahead of the D-Day.
Behrullah Khan Advocate has been fielded by Jamaat-e-Islami due to his long services and loyalty for the party. Political observers believed that fielding of separate candidates by JUI-F and JI were likely to split religious votes that may benefit other candidates.
Great hustle and bustle and political mobilisation are being witnessed in these districts where candidates are participating in almost every activity from funeral to wedding and engagement to settling local disputes in a bid to muster voters’ support. The candidates also started visiting local courts with litigants and public offices, who may be their potential voters, to help them sort out matters at earliest.
Great enthusiasm is being witnessed among young voters for local bodies’ elections. Billboards and posters printing business shined in KP where printers were earning substantial revenue due to overwhelming orders placed by the candidates.
Mohalla Jahingara, a hub of printing press business located at the backside of Qissa Khwani bazaar has witnessed great boom where printers and publishers engaged extra skilled labourers working till night to meet the orders for the LG election especially for the polling day.