PESHAWAR: All is set for the elections to the nine cantonment boards of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today (Saturday).

The Election Commission has handed over all the relevant material to the election supervising staff. Pak Army personnel will be manning the polling stations to avert any untoward incident on the polling day.

In all, the voters in the cantonments would elect 28 councillors in wards, including five in Peshawar, four in Nowshera, three in Risalpur, two in Mardan, three in Kohat, two in Bannu, two in Dera Ismail Khan, five in Abbottabad, and two in Havelian, respectively.

While in Peshawar, there are 43 candidates in the run for five wards, 151 candidates are in the fray in the remaining 23 wards of the eight cantonments of the province.

Registered votes in Peshawar cantonment total 30,000, where polling stations have been established in 22 government schools.

Meanwhile, candidates in two wards of the Chirat Cantonment have already been elected unopposed, so there would be no polling there.

The ECP has already issued code of conduct for the candidates and their supporters for ensuring free and fair elections. It has prohibited the setting up of parties’ election camps or affixing their flags, posters and banners within 100 meters of the polling stations.

The commission has asked the candidates and their supporters to avoid violence on the polling day, and to stop spoiling of any ballot paper.

Meanwhile, candidates remained engaged in hectic campaigning till late Thursday night, the last of the canvassing. Different political parties have set up their camps in Peshawar Cantonment.

Some enthusiastic supporters took out rallies which passed through different areas of the cantonment. Several supporters were seen dancing to drumbeats.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2015

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