KOHAT: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is gearing up for winning the top slot in the district council as the polls for the seat of district nazim will be held on Wednesday (today).

In the 49-member house, PTI has 23 members, JUI-F nine, PML-N 13, PPP two and two are independents. Previous nazim Maulana Niaz Mohammad of JUI-F was removed from the slot on June 7 by the Peshawar High Court after he violated a power sharing formula with other political parties in the council.

PTI is the ruling party in the province and its MPs could promise development funds which were being impeded during the tenure of Maulana Niaz Mohammad.

Polls for the seat being held today

Naseem Afridi of PTI, meanwhile, is being tipped as a potential and unanimous candidate for the post. Political pundits said that in the absence of four to five members who were abroad an easy win for the PTI was expected, as it would need 51 per cent votes of the total votes.

Even if all the 49 members were present getting support of half of the members was not a difficult task for PTI.

The name of Maulana Niaz Mohammad is also being mentioned as a nominee of the JUI-F again which had only nine seats in the assembly. The party’s district leadership in its meeting on Tuesday announced to end its 2015 alliance with PTI and field its own candidate.

Talks were underway to bring Mr Azeem, son of MPA Amjid Afridi, for the seat but they had little support in the house. However, PML-N would be welcomed to give vote to their nominee.

The JUI-F also called its meeting to devise a strategy for the nazim election. Councillor Matiullah Shah told this scribe that JUI-F might try to get the elections postponed fearing its defeat as a few of its members were not in the country. According to the law, the session could be put off only in case of death of a member or due to law and order situation.

He said that Jasim Sadaat of PTI was still a defector after forward blocks were formed in PTI and JUI-F for removing the former nazim in March last. All others had returned to their party folds. He commented that PML-N might side with JUI-F against PTI.

About the potential candidates for the nazim slot, Mr Shah said that both sides were tightlipped about their nominees and talks were in progress to field one who was acceptable to majority of the members.

The stage is set for the election of district nazim on the basis of open division from filing of nomination papers to casting of votes on the same day today (Wednesday).

The council’s secretary said that about 43 to 45 members were expected to attend the election session as a few members had gone to Iran on pilgrimage while the naib nazim was sitting in Aitkaf. An official of the regional election commission office, Nauman, said that nomination papers would be filed from 9:00am to 1:00pm followed by scrutiny till 2:00pm and then elections.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2017