Why did PTI lose in KP local bodies polls?

ISLAMABAD: Shedding light on the reasons behind ruling PTI’s failure in the first phase of the local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz Monday admitted that internal strife was the core reason behind the setback suffered by the party in the province.

Talking to journalists, Shibli Faraz said that the "PTI contested elections against PTI" in the province.

“PTI would have won elections in 14 districts had this not been the case,” he added. The minister said that they have learnt a lesson from the elections, adding that they would change their strategy for the next elections in the province.

He said that they will focus on party discipline and will activate the lower cadre of the party. Giving reasons behind the defeat in the elections, the minister admitted that they failed to activate its workers.

He claimed that PTI was the most popular party in the country, adding that the overall performance of the party was better in the elections. The minister also condemned the incidents of violence during the elections. The party’s discipline will be maintained at all costs in the next elections, vowed Shibli Faraz.

Opposition parties lead in PTI-ruled KP

It is pertinent to mention here that the opposition parties are celebrating their victory after the ruling PTI failed to retain its popularity during the first phase of the local government elections.

As per the unofficial and unconfirmed results of 31 out of 64 tehsil councils in 17 districts, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) has won elections in 10 tehsil councils, PTI in 9, ANP in 5, PML-N and Jamaat-e-Islami have bagged one seat each. Independent candidates, however, managed to win polls in five tehsil councils.

In Mardan, Awami National Party (ANP) candidate Himayat Ullah Mayar has won the election by bagging 56,458 votes. His close contender, JUI-F’s Amanat Shah Haqqani, received 49,938 votes.

As per the unofficial and unconfirmed results, JUI-F candidate Sher Zaman has bagged the mayor slot in Kohat by receiving 34,434 votes. JUI-F’s Zubair Ali has taken lead in Peshawar. As per the unofficial results of 451 out of total 521 polling stations, Zubair has bagged 56006 votes. While his close contender, PTI’s Muhammad Rizwan Bangash received 45,015 votes so far.

In Nowshera, the PTI seems to be heading towards victory as its candidate   Muhammad Ishaq Khan Khattak is leading with 47955 votes after results of 227 polling stations out of 231 were received while the JUI-F's candidate Hakim Ali Khel is trailing behind with 40,581 votes, as per unofficial results.