SWAT: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Mian Sharafat Ali and Awami National Party’s Jafar Shah are going neck and neck in the PK-3 constituency in Swat.

ANP’s Jafar Shah had won the provincial assembly seat in 2008 and 2013 general elections. However, the PTI candidate won the seat in the 2018 elections.

The constituency consists of Madyan, Bahrain, Mankiyal, Kalam, Utror, Gabral, Matiltan, and Palogah areas, where Khowar, Torwali, Gojri and Pashto-speaking communities live.

According to political observers, a close competition was expected between Sharafat Ali of PTI and Jafar Shah of ANP.

“Though PML-N’s Jahangir Khan, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Habibullah Saqib, PPP’s Syed Hakim Shah and the party’s disgruntled activist Malik Nawazish are strong candidates, Shartafat Ali and Jafar Shaha will be in close contest,” said a senior journalist and political observer in Swat.

The total number of registered voters in this constituency is 212,787, including 94,710 women, for which 145 polling stations and 487 polling booths will be arranged.

PTI’s Sharafat Ali had got 21,036 votes from this constituency in the 2018 elections.

In the 2013 elections when this constituency was PK-85, Jafar Shah of ANP had won by securing 14,344 votes.

In the 2008 elections, Jafar Shah won from this constituency by securing 5,573 votes.

In the 2002 elections, MMA’s Malik Amirzada won the seat by getting 11,039 votes.

To find your constituency and location of your polling booth, SMS your NIC number (no spaces) to 8300. Once you know your constituency, visit the ECP website here for candidates.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2024