NA-20 Mardan-I to witness tough contest

MARDAN: A tough competition is expected among Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Mujahid Khan, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) candidate Maulana Attaur Rehman and Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for NA-20 Mardan-I, the former NA-11 (Mardan-III).

The constituency has 430,538 registered voters, including 181,551 female voters. About 353 polling stations have been established in the constituency.

In the last five years 101,253 more voters were registered in this constituency which was formerly known as NA-11 (Mardan-III). The name was changed to NA-20 (Mardan-I) after the delimitation in 2018.

In the 2002 general election, Maulana Attaur Rehman of the MMA won this seat by securing 51,918 votes. Awami National Party (ANP) candidate Habibullah Khan had got 14,462 votes and PTI’s Dr Mohammad Afzal Khan had polled 5,923 votes.

In the 2008 general election, Khanzada Khan of PPP secured 20,896 and emerged victorious seat while Maulana Tajul Ameen Jabal of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) secured 18,155 votes.

In the 2013 general election, Mujahid Khan of PTI was declared the winner. He had polled ‘38,233. PPP’s Khanzada Khan had secured 26,928 and JUI-F’s Imadullah Yousafzai had got 26,623 votes.

Jamaat-e-Islam (JI) candidate, Gul Nawaz Khan, who has now joined the ANP, had secured 15,536 votes and ANP’s Inayat Khan had got 11,506.

Presently, five candidates are contesting the election from NA-20.

However an absorbing contest is expected among PTI’sMujahid Khan and PPP’s Khwaja Hoti, MMA’s Maulana Attaur Rehman and ANP’s Gul Nawaz Khan.

Akhtar Nawaz is the candidate of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for this seat.

The PTI workers claimed that 101,253 new voters were registered in this constituency and majority of them would vote for the PTI candidate.

While the PPP, MMA and ANP workers and supporters claimed that PTI had failed to fulfil their promises in the last five years so the voters would cast their votes in favour of their party candidates.