JUI-F sweeps LG polls in Lakki Marwat

LAKKI MARWAT: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) swept the local government election by clinching 18 seats in total 33 union councils of the district.
According to unofficial results, the candidates of the JUI-F obtained 18 seats, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secured five, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) got six and independents got three seats.
Likewise, at the tehsil level, JUI-F obtained 10 seats out of 33 union councils while PTI and PPP and independent candidates secured 24 seats. Most of the candidates allegedly violated the code of conduct for the LG polls.
Reports said that the supporters took away ballot boxes from the female polling booth in the Government Primary School in Serai Naurang.The angry mob in Zangikhel village allegedly burnt the ballot boxes of the female polling booth after the exchange of harsh works between the supporters of rival candidates.
An official of the district administration told The News that women were not allowed to exercise the right to franchise in some of the villages including Paharkhel, Walai Sagai, Gaoraka Shah Hussain, Dalasa Shah Hussain, Mirzad Khankhel and some other villages.
He added that one of the candidates allegedly distributed ‘money’ among the voters in Ahmedkhel Union Council and it was reported that he paid Rs8,000 for each vote for the district councillor election from his union council.
The neck-and-neck contest was between the PTI candidate Mansoor Kamal Khan, son of late Anwar Kamal Khan Marwat, and JUI-F Dr Sarfaraz Khan, son of Dr Khalid Latif in Lakki town-II where the latter won the poll.