PESHAWAR, May 12: Following completion of polls on Saturday, the political parties have now focused on seats reserved for women and minorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
There are eight National Assembly seats reserved for women from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with 22 seats reserved for women and three for non-Muslims in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
Presently, the number of seats in KP Assembly is 124, including 99 general seats, 22 reserved for women and three for non-Muslims.
An official at the regional office of Election Commission of Pakistan said that these seats would be filled under section 47A of the Representation of Peoples Act 1976 read with The National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, Allocation of Reserved Seats for Women and Non-Muslims (Procedure) Rules 2002.
Under section 47A it is mandatory for the political parties to submit separate lists of their candidates in order of priority for seats reserved for women and non-Muslim.
These seats are filled through proportional representation in accordance with the number of general seats won by a political party.
Article 51 of the Constitution provides that for the purpose of filling reserved seats the total number of general seats won by a political party shall include the independent returned candidate or candidates who may duly join such a political party within three days of the publication in the official gazette of the number of the returned candidates. The same condition is applicable to the seats reserved for non-Muslims and women in a provincial assembly.
The names of returned candidates are published in the gazette after consolidation of results by the returning officers.
The returning officer has to consolidate result in presence of the candidates or his election agent and has also to include postal ballots received by him.
According to unofficial results, the PTI has bagged 35 seats, JUI-F 13 seats, PML-N 12 seats, Jamaat-i-Islami and Qaumi Watan Party seven seats each, ANP four seats, PPP two seats and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan three seats. Results for two seats of Bannu are yet to be finalized where JUI-F is said to be leading.
There are 13 independent returned candidates who are free to join any of the political party.
If any of the independent MPAs joins any party he would also be included in the number of total seats of that party and on its basis the reserved seats would be allocated to that particular party.
Looking at the present number of seats of different parties there is likelihood that PTI would win nine of the reserved seats for women in the provincial assembly, JUI-F four, PML-N three seats, JI and QWP two seats each, whereas the ANP and AJIP are poised to get one seat each. This statistics might change if the independent candidates join any of the political parties.
Similarly, it is expected that the PTI would win two of the three seats reserved for non-Muslims whereas JUI-F would get the third seat.
According to the priority lists provided by political parties, there are 126 candidates in run for the 22 seats reserved for women in the provincial assembly, 45 candidates are in run for the seats reserved for women in the National Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 28 candidates are in the lists against three seats reserved for non-Muslims.
The PTI has given a list of 23 candidates against the 22 seats reserved for women in the provincial assembly. Similarly, the JUI-F has named 22 candidates for the said category, ANP 21 candidates, PML-N 15, PPP 14, and JI and QWP 12 candidates each.
Against eight seats reserved for women in National Assembly from KP, the PPP has named 10 candidates, the JI and JUI-F eight candidates each, PTI seven candidates, ANP four candidates whereas the PML-N and QWP named three and two candidates, respectively.