Second phase of LB polls in KP to be held on March 27: CEC

ISLAMABAD: The second phase of the local bodies polls in the PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province will be held on March 27, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said Thursday.

The confirmation about the crucial phase of the LB election came during the hearing of a petition of PML-N’s Murtaza Javed Abbasi who had requested the electoral body to delay the polls in cold areas of the province due to snowfall in the month of January.

A three-member bench of the Election Commission headed by CEC Raja heard the petition during which chief secretary KP also appeared before the commission.

The CS informed the bench that the provincial cabinet had directed to hold the second phase in May.

At this, CEC Raja noted that the KP government had said that the first phase of local bodies elections will be held in December and the second phase in March before the holy month of Ramazan.

To this, the chief secretary suggested holding polls at the end of March.

The CEC stated that Ramazan is likely to start from April 3 or 4 and if polling is scheduled after the month, it will be too late. He, then announced March 27 (Sunday) as the polling date for the second phase of LB elections.

After the hearing, PML-N’s Sardar Yousuf blamed the KP government of dishonesty and deliberately holding the election in cold areas in the second phase.

“Like in the first phase, the PTI will lose in the next phase as well,” he said, adding PML-N would emerge victorious in Hazara and Malakand divisions.

The PML-N leader said that the party supported JUI-F as per the understanding reached within the Opposition alliance.