PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday deferred the second phase of Local Government election in the remaining districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) until March.
Thus, instead of 16th January, the 2nd phase of elections would be held on 27 March because of the severe weather condition in hilly areas. The decision was taken by a three-member bench headed by chief election commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday.
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The commissioner rejected the KP government request to delay election till May 2022, saying that the government had agreed that the second round would be held before Ramazan. Since the holy month of Ramadan would start from April 3 or 4, therefore, it would be totally unjustified to delay the polls till the end of Ramazan. On this the ECP fixed 27 March for LG polls in KP.
Earlier, it was decided to hold the elections in 16 January but the political parties and the government said that in the hilly areas, such as Chitral and Malakand, people would be unable to use their right to vote because of heavy snowfall. In the first phase of elections in 17 districts of the province, the PTI has suffered huge loss at the hands of its staunch rival, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl (JUIF) and the Awami National party.
Local Government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have created a political stir at the national level, with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seems embarrassed by the election results while the opposition is looking at the results as a “ray of hope”. The PTI was elected in 2013 and was re-elected in 2018 but now the LG polls outcome have put the party in a difficult position. The deep differences in the party and “flawed” nomination of candidates besides inflation and unemployment have cost the PTI in the election.