KP CM decides to probe PTI’s defeat in local body elections: sources

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has decided to investigate the PTI's defeat in the first phase of local body elections in the province, well-placed sources told Geo News on Tuesday.

Unofficial and unconfirmed results received so far show that the ruling PTI has failed to grab even a single mayor's seat in Sunday's polls. The party could win only one tehsil in Peshawar out of six tehsils in the city — from where it won all the seats in the 2018 General Elections.

Sources privy to the matter said that Mahmood Khan is all set to probe the reasons behind the defeat. Strict action will be taken against those found involved in violation of the party discipline, the sources said, adding that CM Mahmood will soon meet with Prime Minister Imran Khan in this regard.

Speaking exclusively to Geo News, Special Assistant to CM KP on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said that the party was taking the party's performance in  local body elections seriously. Stern action will be taken against those found guilty of negligence in the investigations, he added.

The party’s performance was not so bad in the province, the special assistant said. PTI, however, suffered a setback because some of its workers contested elections as independent candidates in some of the districts, he admitted.

PTI’s candidates did perform wedll in Buner and a few other districts during the recent local body elections, Saif added. 

PM Imran Khan not happy over PTI performance in KP LB polls

Earlier today, reacting to the major setback suffered by the ruling PTI in the first phase of the local body elections in Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Prime Minister Imran Khan admitted that his party paid the price for making mistakes in the lead up to the polls.

PM Imran Khan, in a post on Twitter, said that the selection of wrong candidates was the core reason behind their defeat in the elections in the province.

"PTI made mistakes in 1st phase of KP LG elections and paid the price,” wrote the prime minister.

He vowed to personally oversee the PTI's election strategy in the second phase of KP local bodies polls and the local government elections across Pakistan.

“From now on I will personally be overseeing PTI's LG election strategy in 2nd phase of KP LG elections and LG elections across Pakistan. InshaAllah PTI will come out stronger,” he said.