Abbottabad to have 744 polling stations

ABBOTTABAD: All is set for holding the second phase of the Local Government (LG) elections today in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Abbottabad where all arrangements have been finalised.

As many as 744 polling stations have been set up in the Abbottabad district of which 93 have been declared the most sensitive. As many as 891,631 people, including 413,650 women will cast votes in the district for one tehsil mayor and three tehsil chairmen beside village and neighbourhood councils.

The Abbottabad tehsil has a population of 895,148 with 584, 900 votes. Lower Tanawal tehsil has 62,004 votes, Havelian 1,64,322 and Lora 80,405 votes. The Election Commission of Pakistan has deputed 24 returning officers and 18 assistant returning officers to conduct the election.

Forty-three candidates have been contesting for the all tehsil chairmen and 196 village councils and 13 neighbourhood councils. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PMLN) are in a neck and neck contest in the Abbottabad district.

Both have claimed to muster the support of the voters for the slot of tehsil mayor of Abbottabad as well as tehsil chairmen. The PTI has fielded candidates in all four tehsils but is focusing on Abbottabad and Lora tehsils.

New faces have been launched for both the tehsils in the shape of Sardar Shuja Nabi and Rajab Ali Khan Abbassi. On the other hand, the PMLN is focusing on Abbottabad tehsil mayor and Havelian tehsil chairman slots where the party has fielded experienced and strong candidates.

The PTI’s candidate, Sardar Shuja Nabi, who is the son of former district naib nazim, late Sardar Waqar Nabi for the slot of tehsil mayor. The PMLN has fielded Sardar Shamoon Yar, who is the younger son of former governor & Chief Minister Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan.

Shamoon Yar has remained an MPA from his home town which is part of the constituency of the tehsil mayor. PMLN candidate Sardar Shamoon Yar Khan and Sardar Shujah Nabi of PTI were expected to have a tough contest for tehsil mayor of Abbottabad.

The opposition PMLN seems to be in better position due to the prevailing price hike as well as a no-confidence move against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Besides, , the response and turnout of the voters will decide the fate of the PTI.

Sardar Mehtab Ahmed, who has spent most of his time during the election in his home constituency to muster the support, has always considered a strong hold in Bakote and Berote circles.

Political observers believe that his thirty years of political track record reveals that he always took a sizable lead from the mountainous belt of his constituency. One of them believed that if Shamoon Yar managed to get 25,000 to 30,000 lead from mountainous belts including Bakote, Berote and Palak , he would get the slot easily.

The ruling PTI candidate has the support of the KP government and Provincial Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani was seen directly supervising his campaign. The speaker not only attended a number of public meetings for Shuja Nabi but also pledged the developmental projects during the election campaign mostly in the urban belt.

The rural area of the constituency seems to have a poor response to the PTI where their elected MPA was reluctant to openly support their candidate. The PTI has been getting the lead in Lora tehsil election in which Rajab Ali Khan Abbassi, a businessman, seems to enjoy a good position.

Rajab contested the provincial Assembly election as an independent candidate but lost. The PMLN is visibly divided in Lora tehsil and was not getting clear support from Iftikhar Ahmed Abbassi.

The former tehsil nazim Ishaque Zikraya has been gaining the support of various influential persons of lower Tanawal and is likely to give a tough fight to the ruling party candidate Junaid Ahmed.

The PMLN has pitched former tehsil nazim Dildar Khan who is a brother-in-law of PTI candidate Junaid Ahmed. In Havelian tehsil, a former Tehsil nazim Sardar Arsal Pervez of PMLN is facing Aslam Zar Khan Jadoon of PTI and Atif Sher Khan an independent candidate.

It may be pointed out that most of the candidates in Abbottabad tehsil were accusing the district administration of having a partial attitude during the election process as far as the code of conduct of elections was concerned.