PESHAWAR, Oct 10: Voters’ turnout remained dismally low at the polling stations across the NWFP on Thursday, with some analysts saying it was as low as 20 per cent. The overall polling process remained peaceful.
ABBOTTABAD: The turnout of male voters in this district was estimated to be between 15 and 20 per cent. The women’s turnout was observed to be slightly lower.
No untoward incident was reported and the polling was conducted in a peaceful manner.
SWABI: Barring a few localities in this district, the women exercised their right to vote. Only in Salim Khan, Shah Mansoor, Ghulama, Parmoli and Baja, the women were not allowed to come to the polling stations and cast their votes.
Of the 474,220 registered voters of the district, 204,393 are women.
MANSEHRA: Three people were injured when the supporters of candidates clashed at a polling station in the Oghi Tehsil.
A firing incident was reported from another polling station in the Tehsil. But the overall polling process for the two National Assembly and six provincial assembly seats of the district remained peaceful. The voters showed up at the polling stations in small numbers.
TIMERGARA: Women voters in the Lower Dir district kept indoors as all the political parties had reached an agreement that women would not be allowed to cast their votes in the district. A miserably low turnout was witnessed at all the polling stations. However, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere.
LANDI KOTAL: The turnout in NA-45, Khyber Agency, was put at less than 25 per cent and women’s polling booths wore a deserted look. The polling remained peaceful.
CHITRAL: The voting remained peaceful with a low turnout in the district.
No enthusiasm was witnessed among the voters and the polling stations gave a deserted look.
NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah cancelled his scheduled visit to Chitral due to other engagements.
The district returning officer visited most of the polling stations.
LAKKI MARWAT: The turnout remained high in Lakki city, while in the rural areas of the district, the voters showed less interest in voting. No unruly incident was reported.
Analysts put the turnout at less than 40 per cent in the rural areas and 50 per cent in the cities.
Sources alleged that the polling agents of some candidates were involved in purchasing the national identity cards from the voters to preempt voting for their rivals. The prices offered for the cards ranged between Rs1,000 and Rs1,500, they said.
NOWSHERA: The turnout for the two National Assembly and five provincial assembly seats of the Nowshera district was between 15 and 30 per cent, as the polling completed in a peaceful atmosphere.
However, reports of minor clashes were received from some areas.
The polling, particularly at the women’s polling booths in different areas, was disrupted several times.
MARDAN: Polling was stopped for about an hour at Takht Bai and a polling station in the city over alleged purchasing of votes by the contestants.
The voters alleged that some candidates’ supporters offered between Rs500 and Rs1,000 per vote. The turnout was between 20 and 25 per cent.
In the rural areas, the women voters did not exercise their right of franchise but in the urban areas the women thronged the polling stations in large number.
CHARSADDA: Polling for the two national and six provincial assembly seats of Charsadda district remained peaceful except an incident when the polling was suspended for a short time after an exchange of harsh words between the workers of rival candidates.
In PF-17, Charsadda-I, the workers of two candidates, Alhaj Hasham Khan of Awami National Party and Arshad Khan of Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao), exchanged harsh words over bogus balloting at a polling station.
Long queues of voters outside the polling stations were observed.
Women also turned up in a large number in the rural areas.
NA-7, Charsadda-II, is among the three constituencies in the country where there was one-to-one electoral battle between ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan and Maulana Gohar Shah of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.
Maulana Gohar Shah of the MMA, talking to the newsmen, expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for the elections.
However, he was critical of the confusing voters lists as a result of which the electorate faced difficulties in tracing their polling stations.
He said the administration of the district was neutral and the elections were being held in a fair and transparent manner.
HANGU: A very low turnout was witnessed in the district as the polling for one national and two provincial assembly seats completed under strict security arrangements.
No untoward incident took place.
D.I. KHAN: The polling completed in a peaceful atmosphere in the district with a 30 per cent turnout, while the women, at some of the polling stations, were not allowed to cast their votes.
In the Yarik and Miran areas, no vote was cast in the women’s polling booths.
The polling stopped at 5pm and the counting of votes begun in the presence of the polling agents of the candidates.
KURRAM AGENCY: The turnout remained high in the Kurram Agency, where the women were also allowed to cast their votes for the two national assembly seats, NA-37 and NA-38, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
The polling completed in a peaceful atmosphere with minor clashes between the supporters of different candidates reported from various areas.