Tough contest expected for Mardan mayor slot

MARDAN: A tough contest is expected between candidates of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) for the slot of Mardan mayor.

A total of registered voters in Mardan tehsil are 553,031 including 243,285 women.

Eleven candidates, including ANP’s Himayatullah Mayar, JUI-F’s Maulana Amanat Shah, PTI’s Lakhkar Khan, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s Asad Ali Kashmiri, JI’s Mustaq Seemab, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Syed Inayat Shah Bacha, independent candidates Zahir Shah, Kaleemullah Toru, Jalil-ul-Mulk, brother of Maulana Shuja-ul-Mulk, former provincial general secretary of JUI-F Anwar Shah and Asif Khan are contesting election for the slot of mayor Mardan.

However, the real contest is expected between PTI, ANP and JUIF candidate for the slot of mayor Mardan tehsil.

A total of 362,813 voters, including 157,648 women, are registered voters in Takht Bhai tehsil. Seven candidates are in the run for the Takht Bhai tehsil chairman’s slot.

Nasir Khan, son of former MPA Bahadur Khan, is contesting election from ANP, Mumtaz Khan from PML-N, Mohammad Khawar Khan, son of former provincial minister Iftikhar Mohmand, from PTI ticket, Aurungzeb Khan from PPP, Mohammad Saeed from JUI-F, Ma’azullah Khan from Jamaat-e-Islam (JI) and Ayaz Ali Khan as independent candidate.

However, a tough contest is expected between PMLN, JUIF, ANP and PTI for the slot of chairman Takht Bhai tehsil. There are a total of 196,606 registered voters including 85980 female voters in Katlang tehsil.

For Katlang tehsil chairman’s slot, nine candidates are contesting election.

Emadullah Yousafzai from JUI-F, Fazl-e-Rahman from ANP, Mohammad Aziz from PPP, Zarshad Khan from PTI, Samar Khan

from PMLN, Saeed Kamal from QWP, Ali Abbas Khan from JI and Laiq Nawaz and Sartaj Khan will contest election as independent candidates.

However, a tough contest is expected between JUIF, ANP and PTI for the slot of chairman. Total registered voters at Garhi Kapura are 166,104 including 73380 female voters.

Seven candidates are contesting election for Ghari Kapura tehsil chairman’s slot. They include Bakhatwar Khan from ANP, Shah Fasial Khan from PTI, Mohammad Ayaz from JUI-F, Asad Jamal from JI, Akhtar Ali,

Mohammad Arshad and Mohammad Naeem will contest election asindependent candidates.

However, a tough contest is expected between ANP, JUIF and PTI candidates. Total registered voters in Rustam tehsil are 158,785 including 70,437 women voters.

For Rustam tehsil chairman’s slot, six candidates are contesting election.

They include Muzaffar Shah from PTI, Ishaq Khan from ANP, Akhtar Nawaz Khan from PMLN, Ayub Khan from PPP, Sajjad Saeed from JI, Mubarik Ahmad from JUIF. However, the real contest is expected between JUIF, PPP, PTI and ANP candidates. The Election Commission of Pakistan has established 3,215 polling stations for the polling day.

About 225 polling stations were declared most sensitive, 576 sensitive and 250 were declared normal.

Some 105 women candidates, 17 minority candidates, 35 worker candidates and 25 youth have been elected unopposed in different village and neighbourhood councils