The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) and the PTI were neck- and-neck with five seats each on Monday night after re-polling and fresh polls were carried out peacefully on Sunday for mayor/chairman of 20 tehsil councils in 13 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkwa.
Re-polling was carried out in 19 tehsils for the seats of mayor/chairman while fresh polling was held for Dera City Council’s mayoral slot, bringing to completion the first phase of local government election in the province.
These elections were first held last year on Dec 19 and on Sunday, re-polling was held in certain areas where violence had affected results whereas fresh polling was held for Dera mayor seat because the death of a candidate had resulted in postponement of polling last time.
Unofficial results showed that JUI-F and the PTI won five seats each after Sunday’s polling. Independent candidates and the Tehreek-i-Islahat Pakistan (TIP) won two seats each while the Awami National Party (ANP) secured one seat. Results for five seats are still pending.
Collectively, out of 66 tehsil councils, this translates into a comfortable lead for JUI-F with 23 seats followed by the PTI bagging 14, and independent candidates winning nine seats. The ANP bagged seven seats, while the PML-N won three. The Jamaat-i-Islami and TIP won two seats each and the PPP managed only one.
PTI candidate Umar Amin Gandapur, the brother of federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur, won the contest in JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman’s hometown, securing 63,758 votes to clinch the seat of Dera Ismail Khan city mayor.
JUI-F’s Zubair Ali won the seat for Peshawar mayor after securing 63,610 votes. The PTI candidate, Rizwan Bangash, came in second with 51,523 votes. Zubair Ali was leading during the polling on Dec19 as well, but due to some acts of violence in six polling stations the result was withheld and re-polling was ordered for Sunday.
In Peshawar’s Pishtakhara tehsil, JUI-F’s Haroon Sifat won the contest, bagging 11,125 votes. Similarly, JUI-F’s Syed Badshah and Mamoor Khan Wazir won the seat in Bajaur’s Khar tehsil and Bannu’s Bakkakhel tehsil, respectively.
In Khyber district’s Bara tehsil, JUI-F’s Multi Mohammad Kufail continued to lead with 537 votes.
In Karak’s Takht-i-Nusrati tehsil, PTI’s Azmar Ali Khan was the winning candidate with 20,497 votes in his favour. The PTI was also victorious in Bannu’s Domail tehsil with candidate Israr Khan receiving 9,894 votes.
The ruling party was also successful in Bajaur’s Nawagai tehsil after PTI’s Dr Khalil defeated independent candidate Najeebullah Khan, the son of a former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, by 305 votes.
PTI candidate Kamran Razzak was successful in Jehangira tehsil of Nowshera district, securing 34,010 votes.
The ANP was successful in securing the post of tehsil chairman in Buner after their candidate Gulzar Hussain secured 7,820 votes.
TIP candidates Shah Khalid and Syed Nawab won in Khyber tribal district’s Landi Kotal tehsil and Jamrud tehsil, respectively.
Independent candidates Shafaqatullah Khan and Shahid Bilal won in Lakki Marwat and Darra Adamkhel, respectively.
