Tough contest expected on NA-21 between PTI, ANP candidates

MARDAN: A tough competition is expected between Muhammad Atif Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Ameer Haider Hoti of Awami National Party (ANP) for the National Assembly constituency NA-21 Mardan-II, the erstwhile NA-9-Mardan-1.

The constituency has 419,713 registered voters, including 176,696 women. About 357 polling stations, including 132 for women voters, have been established in this constituency. In the 2013 general election, it had about 336,177 registered voters. However, in the last five years, 83,536 more voters were registered in this constituency. In the 2002 general election, Maulana Shujaul Mulk of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) secured 54,479 votes and won this seat.

Independent candidate Abbas Sarfaraz Khan, nephew of former chief minister late Mir Afzal Khan secured 15,376 votes, Murad Khan of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) obtained 5,077 and PTI candidate Yousaf Shah had polled 1,049 votes.

In the 2008 general election, ANP's Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti had secured 31,000 votes and had emerged victorious while Maulana Shujaul Mulk of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and PPP's Khanzada Khan got 24,621 and 24,200 votes, respectively.

In the 2013 general election, ANP's Haider Hoti secured 44,769 votes and was declared the winner, PTI's Nasir Khan had secured 42,068 votes, Khwaja Hoti of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had polled 32,090 votes, JUI-F's Maulana Shujaul Mulk had got 14,427 votes and PPP candidate Shazia Aurangzeb could get 7,002 votes.

This time a tough contest is expected between PTI's Mohammad Atif Khan, who is a former provincial minister, and ANP's Haider Hoti, the former chief minister. PPP's Abid Ali Shah and MMA's candidate Maulana Shujaul Mulk are also in the run.