File photo. Abdul Majeed—AFP
PTI blames ‘poor candidate selection’ and vows to reverse trend in second phase of local body elections
Opposition parties have emerged as the clear victors in the first phase of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s local body elections, with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf trailing behind, according to unofficial results.
Accepting the results, Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz told media he did not believe the party had done “too badly” in the polls, claiming they would apply the lessons of these results in future elections. “We have been given a chance to change our strategy and eliminate our shortcomings,” he said, adding that the primary reason for the PTI’s poor showing was their poor candidate selection that left party members contesting the elections against rivals from within their own ranks.
He also admitted that some of the citizenry was resentful of the current wave of inflation and the PTI had suffered from an “incumbency” factor.
In a posting on Twitter, Prime Minister Imran Khan also admitted to “mistakes” in the local body elections. “Wrong candidate selection was a major cause. 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,” he said.
According to the unofficial results, the biggest victor in the local body elections was the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl). The results for the mayor of the 64th tehsil—provincial capital Peshawar—were deferred by the ECP as six polling stations had to halt voting due to law and order concerns. There are also results for Baka Khel tehsil and Dera Ismail Khan city council, as no elections were held in the constituencies. The total seats being contested were thus 61, with the JUIF emerging victorious in 15.
While the Peshawar mayor results have been stopped, the JUIF was leading in the provincial capital against the PTI’s candidate. Of the remaining six tehsil chairman seats of the city, the JUIF won four against the PTI’s one. The JUIF also won in Charsadda, defeating the Awami National Party. However, the ANP won the mayoral seat of Mardan, defeating the JUIF.
Overall in Mardan, the JUIF won three of the five tehsil seats against the ANP’s two.
In Nowsehra, the PTI and ANP grabbed one tehsil chairman seat each, with the third result still awaited.
In Swabi, the JUIF, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the ANP and the PTI won one tehsil chairman seat each. Of the three tehsil seats in Kohat, the JUIF and an independent secured one each, with the results of third tehsil still awaited.
In Bannu, the JUIF won in one of the six tehsils. The results of the other five are still awaited. The JUIF also won both tehsils of Tank.
In Dera Ismail Khan—the hometown of JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman—unofficial results show the PTI winning in four of six tehsils, with the Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Peoples Party and an independent candidate securing one tehsil chairman seat each.
In Buner, the ruling PTI won four of the six chairman seats, while the ANP won one and the results are awaited on a sixth.
In Haripur, the PMLN won two seats, while the third went to an independent.
The first phase of the local bodies’ elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was held on Sunday in 17 districts; the second phase in the remaining district of the province would be held on Jan. 16, 2022.