PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that no minority candidate have submitted nomination papers for reserve seats for the upcoming second phase of the Local Government polls.
The ECP has said that a total of 873 candidates have submitted nomination papers for tehsil mayors and chairman seats in 65 tehsils of 18 districts. The election body said that for 1830 neighborhood and village councils, a total of 15336 and for women reserved seats, 3488 candidates have submitted nomination papers for 31 March LG elections.
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The ECP further said that a total of 120 candidates are vying for the reserved religious minorities’ seats, but in six districts – Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan Lower, Kolai Palas, Dir Upper and Chitral Upper – no minority candidate showed interest in filling papers election. The Local Government elections in KP’s 65 tehsils are scheduled on 31 March.
The highest number of minorities applications were received from Swat and Abbottabad with 21, 21 minority candidates each, followed by Lower Dir 16, Kurram 14, Lower Chitral 11, Mansehra 9, North Waziristan 7, Orakzai 4, Batgram and Shangla three each and two minority candidates have submitted papers for contest election in South Waziristan.
Yesterday, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has also announced 54 out of 64 candidates for city mayor and tehsil chairman seats, relying on hereditary politics. The PTI has also granted ticket to the relatives of the MPAs including the Chief Minister’s brother. His brother Abdullah Swat has been nominated from Matta Tehsil. Similarly, MNA Bashir Khan’s nephew, MPA Shafiullah’s son and MNA Mehboob Shah’s brother has also been granted tickets by the ruling party.
Granting tickets to relatives of PTI relatives in the first phase was one of the main reason behind the defeat of the ruling party in the first phase of polls on 19 December, last year.