17.8 million voters to elect 97 MPAs, 51 MNAs in KP

PESHAWAR: As many as 17.827 million registered voters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including tribal districts will exercise their right to elect 51 MNAs and 97 MPAs amongst 1993 candidates for next five years 2018-23 amid tight security arrangements on Wednesday (July 25).

Of total 99 general seats of the KP Assembly, election is being held on 97 seats as polling on two constituencies have been postponed after assassination of the running candidates including Haroon Bilour (PK-78 Peshawar) and Ikramullah Khan Gandapur (PK-99DI Khan).

The number of national assembly constituencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been increased from 35 to 39 after fresh delimitations of the constituencies.

Whereas 12 MNAs will be elected from the seven recently merged tribal districts and frontier regions, thus making the total tally to 51 MNAs.

A total of 1993 candidates of different political parties and independents are running for 51 national and 97 provincial assembly seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including seven tribal districts and frontier regions.

In KP, around 87,269 policemen would be engaged in election duties to provide safe environment to voters in 11,132 polling stations.

Out of 11,132 polling stations, 2,572 have been declared most sensitive and 4,427 sensitive to be guarded by security personnel for smooth conduct of elections.

A total 25,720 personnel would be deployed on most sensitive polling stations in the province as 10 personnel would be guarding each most sensitive polling station.

Likewise, a total of 30,989 personnel would guard 4,427 sensitive polling stations in the province as seven to be deployed on each sensitive polling station.

As many as 20,680 security personnel would be deployed at 4136 normal polling stations, while five personnel would be deployed at each normal polling station in the province.

In overall 15,316,299 registered voters including 8,705,831 male and 6,610,468 female voters would exercise right of franchise for 39 general seats of national assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2,510,154 registered voters for 12 national assembly seats of tribal districts merged into KP, thus raising totally number of voters to 17.826 million in KP.

The newly included tribal districts including Bajaur district has 492,732 registered voters followed by Khyber 491,844 voters, Kurram 337,865 voters, South Waziristan 324,165, Mohmand 255,523, North Waziristan 274,205, Orakzai 167,206, Frontier Regions (FR) Bannu 12446, FR DI Khan 28764, FR Kohat 59037, FR Lakki Marwat 12494, FR Peshawar 32937 and FR Tank 20936 respectively.

In KP, Peshawar has topped the list with highest number of registered voters as 1693386 followed by Mardan 1239939 voters and Swat 1193111 voters respectively.

Torghar is the only KP district where only 90414 voters registered would exercise their right of vote on Wednesday.

In Abbottabad, the total registered voters are 838726, Bannu 578872, Batagram 258155, Buner 445474, Charsadda 881017, Chitral 269579, DI Khan 719985, Hangu 275947, Haripur 657648, Karak 404475, Kohat 506699, Kohistan 154620, Lakki Marwat 421224, Lower Dir 681841, Malakand 386449, Manshera 947076, Nowshera 756364, Shangla 374343, Swabi 912669, Tank 180872 and Upper Dir 447414.For the first time, heads of all the major political parties are contesting from KP constituencies including Bilawal Bhutto ( Malakand) Shehbaz Sharif (Swat), Fazlur Rehman (DI Khan), Imran Khan (Bannu), Asfandyar Wali Khan and Aftab Sherpao (Charssada) and Sirajul Haq( Dir Lower).

Similarly, four former Chief Ministers including Akram Khan Durrani, Haider Khan Hoti, Aftab Sherpao and Pervez Khattak are also in the fields from their respective home districts.

Former Governor KP, Gen Retd Iftikhar Hussain Shah is also contesting from his home constituency Kohat as independent candidate after he was refused ticket by the PTI.

All Deputy Commissioners have been nominated as District Monitoring Officers (DMCs) who would be assisted by monitoring teams comprising senior officials of district administration and others lines departments including Assistant Commissioners, Additional Assistant Commissioners, Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMO) officers etc for smooth and transparent conduct of elections.

ECP has requisitioned Armed Forces of Pakistan under Article 220&245 of constitution to assist them in free, fair & transparent conduct of election besides enabling people of KP to freely exercise their democratic right in safe and secure environment.

As many as 14,530 presiding officers, 83,692 assistant presiding officers and 41,846 polling officers will perform duties in KP and tribal districts and frontier regions recently merged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Around 10,351 closed-circuit television cameras have been installed at 2,572 most sensitive polling stations and 7,779 polling booths in the province.

The election campaign will end 12am tonight and no political parties would be allowed to hold rallies and addressing public meetings after it.

The Government has declared July 25 as public holiday for facilitation of voters.

The voting process will formally start at 8am and will continue till 6pm without any break.

The voters in premises of polling stations would be allowed to cast their votes and the counting would begin soon after completion of the polling process.