Most ANP leaders lose election in KP

PESHAWAR: Most of the Awami National Party (ANP) leaders except for the provincial president and general secretary lost the contest in the general election 2018.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and senior vice-president Ghulam Ahmad Bilour could not win their seats. The ANP chief contested the election on NA-24 Charsadda that was won by PTI’s Fazal Muhammad Khan who secured 83,495 votes. Asfandyar Wali secured 59,483 votes. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Shaukat Ali defeated Ghulam Ahmad Bilour as he secured 87,895 votes in NA-31 Peshawar. Bilour was the runner-up with 42,476 votes.

Aimal Wali Khan, son of Asfandyar Wali Khan, failed to win the first election in his life from PK-58 Charsadda constituency. He bagged 22,038 votes while Sultan Muhammad Khan of the PTI won the seat by getting 28,891 votes. The latter had quit Aftab Sherpao’s Qaumi Watan Party before the polls and joined the PTI. Mian Iftikhar Hussain contested the election from PK-65 in his hometown Nowshera and lost to PTI’s Khaleequr Rehman who got 36,877 votes. The ANP leader managed to get 21,830 votes.

Former Senator Zahid Khan contested the election on NA-6 Lower Dir, which was won by the PTI candidate Mehboob Shah by receiving 63,440 votes. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) candidate Asadullah got 36,665 votes while Zahid Khan polled 36,682 votes.

Former Deputy Speaker of KP Assembly, Khushdil Khan failed to win the PK-70 Peshawar seat after a narrow loss. He got 15,357 while the winner PTI’s Shah Farman secured 15,404 votes. The ANP won five seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, one in the Balochistan Assembly and one National Assembly seat NA-21 Mardan.

The ANP provincial president Ameer Haider Khan won the National Assembly seat NA-21. He got 78,911 votes while the runner-up Muhammad Atif of the PTI got 78,876 votes. It was narrow victory for Haider Hoti, the former chief minister.

Ameer Haider Khan also won PK-53 Mardan by securing 29,166 votes. The PTI candidate Syed Omar Farooq got 22,437 votes. In the 2013 polls also, Haider Hoti had won the two seats and then vacated the one in provincial assembly.

Ameer Haider Hoti and Sardar Hussain Babak won their seats for the third consecutive term. Sardar Hussain Babak was victorious on PK-22 in Buner. He secured 22,385 votes. The MMA candidate Raj Wali Khan was the runner-up with 17,079 votes.

Other party candidates who won the provincial assembly seats included Shakeel Bashir Khan Omarzai who won PK-57 in Charsadda after getting 26,938 votes. He was followed by the Qaumi Watan Party candidate Arshad Ali who got 21,229 votes.

Bahadar Khan got 18,712 votes on PK-16 in Lower Dir and was declared the winner. He was followed by the MMA candidate Aizazul Mulk Afkari who secured 16,001 votes. The ANP candidate Laiq Muhammad Khan won his PK-35 seat in Torghar getting 11,636 votes. He was followed by MMA’s Shaukat Ali Khan who secured 7,998 votes. ANP’s Asghar Khan won the election on PB-23 for Balochistan Assembly. He secured 11,154 votes. He was the loner winner for the party in Balochistan.