MARDAN: As the upcoming local body elections will mostly be contested on the basis of tribal and family affiliations, independent candidates are going to give a tough time to the candidates of political parties in the elections.

Candidates of political parties and independents have not only been going door to door in the district but also holding three to four corner meetings daily in their relevant constituencies to woo the voters.

In Mardan, 397 candidates are contesting local government elections against 112 seats of district council. Similarly, 236 are in the run for 116 seats of tehsil councils in three tehsils -- Mardan, Takhtbai and Katlang.

Besides, 4,924 candidates are vying for 2,310 seats of village and neighbourhood councils.

Keeping in view the importance of the local government elections, central leaders of political parties have also toured the district to boost up election campaign of their parties’ contestants.

Jamaat-i-Isalmi emir Sirajul Haq had visited Mardan on May 19, and held meetings in Katlang Bazaar and Nehir Chowk Par Hoti to get votes for party candidates.

He asked the people that if they wanted Islamic Pakistan then vote for the JI to ensure ‘solution to their problems’.

Similarly, provincial president of ANP Ameer Haider Hoti has also been holding public meetings for his party candidates in various parts of the district to boost their position against rival candidates.

As per party sources, he daily addressed two to three public gatherings to mobilise party workers.

The leaders of the ruling PTI, Iftikhar Mashwani, Zahid Khan Durrani, Ubaid Mayar, Mujahid Khan and others have also been holding public meetings for party candidates to get them elected in the local body polls.

Provincial PPP president Haji Khanzada Khan, former provincial assembly speaker Abdul Akbar Khan and other central leaders have also been vigorously campaigning for party candidates. Despite differences in PPP, the party’s local activists seem much mobilised and are expected to give tough time to their rivals in the coming elections.

Likewise, JUI-F leaders, including provincial general secretary Maulana Shujaul Mulk, former provincial minister Hafiz Akhtar Ali, former MPA Maulana Amanat Shah and other party’s provincial leaders have been taking part in public meetings of contesting candidates to boost their position.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

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