PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced it will hold re-polling in 12 tehsils for the seats of mayor and chairman of the city and tehsil councils and different village and neighbourhood councils as voting was suspended on March 31 for multiple reasons.

Polling for the second phase of local body elections was held on Thursday (March 31) in 65 tehsils of 18 districts of the province.

The districts, where elections were held, included Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Lower and Upper Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Swat, Malakand, Shangla, Lower and Upper Dir, Upper and Lower Chitral, Kurram, Orakzai, and North and South Waziristan.

In the second phase of local body polls, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf won the highest number of slots for mayor and chairman of city and tehsil councils with a wide margin by achieving 24 seats.

The ECP has so far declared provisional consolidated election results for 49 of the total 65 tehsil councils. The poll results are awaited for three tehsil councils, while the ECP has decided about re-polling for 12 tehsil councils.

ECP has declared provisional poll results for 49 of total 65 tehsil councils

The opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl won seven top tehsil slots, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz four, Awami National Party and Jamaat-i-Islami two each, and independent candidates six.

On Saturday, the ECP released details of the election-related violence on March 31, which led to the suspension of polling in 12 tehsil councils.

The tehsils included Wana, Ladha, Mir Ali, Palas, Bataira, Baffa, Balakot, Abbottabad, Lower Tanawal, Lower Kurram, Dassu and Battagram.

According to a ECP report, the voters boycotted polling in Zalai VC of Wana tehsil council in South Waziristan tribal district and demanded the shifting of votes from one village council to another.

Similarly, voting wasn’t held at a women polling station in Aazam Warsak neighbourhood council of Wana tehsil council, polling material was snatched by supporters of some candidates before being burnt.

The snatching of polling material and weapons of security personnel was reported at three polling stations in Mirali tehsil of North Waziristan tribal prompting the ECP to go for re-polling there.

The ECP report said the presiding officer had sought re-polling for Sacha Kalan village council in Baffa tehsil of Mansehra district, where polling was stopped time and again due to scuffles and firing in the air.

Also, the residents attacked polling stations and took away election-related material in Lower Kurram tehsil, while the torching of ballot boxes and ballot papers was reported in Dassu tehsil of Upper Kohistan district.

The ECP had set up 6,176 polling stations. Of them, 1,246 were for women and 1,164 for men, while 3,766 were combined. It had declared 1,646 polling stations very sensitive and 2,326 sensitive in term of security.

The Election Commission had demanded of the provincial government to ensure foolproof security at those polling stations.

A total of 28,020 candidates contested elections with 651 running for mayors and chairmen of city and tehsil councils.

Similarly, 12,980 nominees of political parties and independents contested elections for the general seats of village and neighbourhood councils, 2,668 for those reserved for women in VCNCs, 6,451 for peasants’, 5,213 for youth’s and 57 for minority’s.

The first phase of local body elections was held on Dec 19 in 17 districts of the province with the opposition JUI-F bagging 23 tehsil council mayor/chairman slots, the ruling PTI 18, independents 10, ANP seven, PML-N three, Jamaat-i-Islami and Tehreek-i-Islahat Pakistan two each, and Pakistan Peoples Party one.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2022