Mardan constituencies to witness hard-hitting contests

MARDAN: A strong contest is expected between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP), Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on eight provincial constituencies in Mardan district.

In PK-48, Mardan-1 (formerly 28-Mardan-6), the total registered voters are 151,729, including 63,248 females. The polling stations are 123 which include 25 for men and 24 for women while 74 are combined.

Seven candidates are contesting the election on this seat. However, a tough contest is expected among PTI candidate Malak Shaukat, MMA candidate Hafiz Akhtar Ali, ANP candidate Farooq Akram Khan and PPP's Jawad Khan Baizai.

Sikandar Hayat is contesting the election on the PML-N, Mohammad Khitab Bacha on the PTI and Shahabullah is contesting the election as independent candidate. The ANP candidate Gohar Bacha won the election on this seat in the 2013 election. However, the party did not allot him ticket this time and fielded Farooq Khan.

In PK-49, Mardan-2 (previously PK-29, Mardan-7), total registered voters are 166,964, including 70,906 female. There are about 135 polling stations, including 38 for men and 36 for women and 61 combined.

Eleven candidates are contesting on this seat. However, a strong contest is expected among PTI candidate Tufail Anjum, MMA candidate Ibrahim Biland, ANP candidate Shah Roh Aman and PPP candidate Khaista Begum, widow of PPP leader late Abdul Akbar Khan.

Arshad Hussain is contesting on the MQM ticket, Tariq Saleem on PML-N and Mohammad Zahir, Abdul Manan, Zameer Gul, Javed Khan and Adnan Khan are contesting elections as independent candidates. PTI candidate Tufail Anjum had succeeded on this seat in the 2013 elections.

In PK-50, Mardan-III (old PK-30 Mardan-8), total registered voters are 158,988 including 66,633 female voters, and there are 133 polling stations including 51 for men, 46 for women and 36 combined in the constituency.

Ten candidates are contesting the election on this seat. However, a serious contest is expected between PTI candidate and former provincial minister Mohammad Atif Khan, PPP candidate and former federal minister Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, MMA candidate Taj-ul-Ameen Jabal and ANP candidate Haroon Khan.

Malak Ayaz Khan of PML-N and Yousaf Zaman, Mohammad Zahid, Abdus Samad, Syed Rahat Ali Shah and Azam Khan are contesting the election as independent candidates. In the 2013 elections, PTI candidate Mohammad Atif Khan had won this seat.

In PK-51, Mardan-4 (old PK-25-Mardan-3), total registered voters are 154,748 of which 89,865 are men and 64,883 women. The total polling stations are 117 in which 39 are males, 33 for females and 45 are combined.

A tough contest is expected among PTI candidate Ameer Farzand Khan, PPP candidate Bakhtawar Khan, ANP candidate Himaytullah Mayar and independent candidate (who is from PTI) Haris Khan Toru and MMA candidate Maulana Israr-ul-Haq.

Observers say on PK-51, Haris Khan Toru and the annoyed workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will create problems for the PTI candidates by dividing their votes.

The PTI’s Obaid Mayar had won this seat in the 2013 election. However, he left PTI and join PPP after he was accused of selling vote in the Senate election. The PPP didn’t allot him ticket for the 2018 elections and later he joined ANP.

In PK-52, Mardan-5 (formerly PK-24, Mardan-2), the total registered voters are 147,844 including 85,381 men and 62,463 women while the total polling stations are133.

A tough contest is expected among PTI candidate Zahir Shah Toru, PML-N candidate Nawabzada Arsala Khan, ANP’s Ali Khan. The PPP candidate Nawabzada Aurangzeb Khan and MMA candidate Maulana Amant Shah are also in the run. However, MMA has announced to withdraw their candidate in favour of the PML-N candidate in this constituency.

In the 2013 elections, PTI candidate Zahid Durrani had won this seat.

In PK-53, Mardan-6 (old PK-23, Mardan-1), the total registered voters are 152,326, while the total polling stations in the constituency are 135.

A hard-hitting contest is expected between ANP candidate Ameer Haider Hoti and PTI’s Umar Farooq Kakakhel while Haji Khan Akbar of PML-N, Ikramullah Shahid of PPP and MMA candidate Qari Niaz Ali are also contesting the election on the seat.

However, JUI-F has decided to withdraw their candidate in favour of PML-N candidate in this constituency. In 2013, Ameer Haider Hoti had won this seat.

In PK-54, Mardan-7 (old 26, Mardan-4), there are 154,223 registered voters, including 64,025 women, while the total number of polling stations is 133 including 38 for men, 35 for women and 60 combined.

A total of eight candidates are contesting the election on this seat. However, a tough contest is expected among PTI’s Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, ANP’s Sher Afghan Khan, MMA candidate Nadir Shah, PPP’s Malik Ejaz Khan, and PML-N’s Mumtaz Ali Khan. Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s Irfan Ali, independent candidates Zarshahad Khan and Obaid Khan are also contesting there. In the 2013 elections, Iftikhar Ali Mashwani of the PTI had won this seat.

In PK-55, Mardan-8 (old PK-27, Mardan-5), total registered voters are 153,117, including 63,603 females, and 122 polling stations have been set up. A total of 12 candidates are contesting the election on this seat. However, the real contest is expected among PTI candidate Adil Nawaz, PPP candidate and former provincial minister Rahimdad Khan, PML-N’s Jamshed Khan Mohmand, MMA candidate Fazl-e-Rabani, and ANP candidate Nasir Khan.

Tehreek-e-Labbak Pakistan’s Mohammad Ihsanullah, JUP-S candidate Akhtar Gul, Aman Taraqi Party candidate Arshid Ali, APML candidate Jalal-ud-Din, Tehreek-e-Jawanan Pakistan’s Abdul Wahab, PTI-Gulala group’s Nadeem Shah and an independent candidate Sattar Khan are also in the run. In 2013, Imran Mohmand had won this seat as an independent candidate.

Imran was martyred in a suicide attack and later his brother Jamshed Mohmand as independent candidate won the election on the seat. Afterwards, he announced joining PTI and later quit it to join the PML-N.

Political analysts say that while the tough contest is expected among PTI, ANP, PPP, PML-N and MMA candidates on 8 provincial constituencies of the district, PTI may face problems due to some of the independent candidates in certain constituencies who are from the party.