In a possible big upset for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Zubair Ali has taken a lead over the ruling party for the Peshawar mayoral slot Monday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The tribal districts of KP— Khyber, Bajaur and Mohmand—which were part of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) voted for a local government in their areas for the first time while the rest of the merged districts will go on polls in the second phase.

Tehsil wise results 

As per unofficial results, out of 64 tehsils, the rival JUI-F is ahead in 20 tehsils vote count, PTI in 15, ANP in eight tehsils, JI and Islami Tehreek-e-Isehkam, PMLN in two each tehsils while 12 independent candidates won elections at tehsil level.    

As per unconfirmed results of 21 Tehsil chairman seats, PTI has won nine chairman seats, followed by independent candidates with five seats. JUI-F has bagged four seats, ANP two, while PML-N has managed to grab two chairman seats.

In Khanpur Tehsil of Haripur district, PMLN Raja Haroon Sikandar became city mayor, ANP Ghulam Haqqani won in tehsil Razd while PTI candidate was defeated in tehsil of district Noshwera.

As per unofficial results from 285 polling stations, the JUI-F candidate has so far polled 32,275 votes while the PTI's Rizwan Bangash trails behind by securing 26,695 votes.

District wise results 

Swabi

In Swabi, the PTI faced a setback as provincial minister Shahram Tarakai’s uncle Baland Iqbal lost to ANP candidate Ghulam Haqqani in Razar Tehsil. In Swabi’s tehsil Lahore, PML-N’s Adil Khan won by taking 22026 votes. JUI-F’s M Shahab was second with 14820 vores.

Bannu 

In Bannu, the JUIF candniate for the Macity Mayor was taking lead with 27500 votes in comparison to 22800 votes. 

In Bannu, another JUI-F candidate, Irfanullah Durrani has extended a lead over a PTI candidate for the mayoral election. Irfanullah has so far polled 37,458 votes and defeated PTI candidate, Iqbal Khan Jadoon who bagged 23,867 votes.

In Bannu’s tehsil Miryan, independent candidate Pir Kamal Shah won the seat by taking 11,885 votes. PTI’s Malik Shahid Khan was second with 6370 votes.

In Bannu’s Wazir Tehsil, JUI-F candidate Mastoor Khan emerged victorious by securing 3200 votes. Independent candidate Irfanullah remained second.

In Bannu’s tehsil Domail, PTI’s Malik Israr Khan is ahead with 8081 votes after the results of 75 polling stations out of 81. PPP’s Naekdar Ali is second with 5741 votes and JUI-F’s Musharraf Alamgir third with 4914 votes. Repolling has been announced for the remaining six polling stations of Domail.

For Bannu Tehsil Kaki’s chairman seat, PTI’s Junaid-ur-Rasheed emerged as the winner. He got 4491 votes, according to unofficial results.

KP Transport Minister Shah Muhammad Khan said that PTI has nothing to do with the Bakakhel incident and they will not let opposition to run away from elections. He said PTI will accept ECP polling in presence of the Pakistan Army. 

The PTI has tasted defeat in the Mardan, Kohat and Nowshera tehsils.

Also, for the first time in the history of Bannu, a gypsy woman has been elected as councillor.

Kohat

JUI-F candidate Qari Sher Zaman has won Kohat Mayorship by securing 33,991 votes while independent candidate Shafi Jan grabbed 25,561 votes, according to unofficial results.

The JUI-F's Qari Sher Zaman is leading in the Kohat city mayor election with 19536 votes as per the 149 polling stations while independent candidate Shafi Jan trails behind him in second place with 18118 votes. 

Nowshera 

In Nowshera, the PTI seems to be heading towards another upset defeat as the ANP's candidate Ghayyur Ali Khan seems to have won the election, as per unofficial results.

Haripur 

In Khanpur Tehsil of Haripur district, PMLN Raja Haroon Sikandar became city mayor.

Buner

On the other hand, the PTI has managed to win four out of six tehsils of Buner district. A PTI candidate has the lead in Buner's Khudu Khel district.

Charsadda

A JUI-F has extended its lead in all three tehsils of Charsadda.

Karak

An independent candidate was taking the lead in Karak ahead of other candidates. 

Mohmand 

The JUIF candidate won the Mohamad seat. 

Hangu

An independent candidate won the Hangu seat. 

District Khyber 

As per the unofficial complete results of Jamrood tehsil's 77 polling stations of khyber distrcit, Tehreek-e-Islahaat Alhaj Syed Nawab stood first baggin 9398 votes while his opponent Alhaj Syed Nawab scored 7323 votes.   

The Tehreek-e-Islah Pakistan has taken a lead in District Khyber while the PTI's Ataullah Khan has been elected chairman tehsil council in District Swabi.

Mardan 

For the Mardan city mayor election, the Awami National Party's (ANP) Himayat Ullah Mayar has extended a broad lead over the PTI's candidate as the JUI-F's contestant trails behind him in second place.

PTI rivals, ANP and JUIF, won crucial seats in Mardan's five tehsils. Pertinent to note that PTI won two MNAs and seven MPAs in 2018 general elections but in local bodies polls, the ruling PTI stood at third and fourth position in Mardan district. 

Meanwhile, the JUI-F candidates are leading in District Mardan's Takht Bai Tehsil, Katlang Tehsil and Rustam Tehsil.

The ANP has a lead over its rivals in Mardan's Tehsil Garhi Kapura, on the other hand while also in Mardan’s Tehsil Takling where JUID candidate Hammdullah with 28741 votes leading from ANP canidiate Fazalur Rehman with 16020 votes as per the 123 polling stations results out of 131 polling stations. 

Tank 

In Tank, as per the result of 146 polling stations out of 172, JUIF Saddan Hussain ahead with 33196 votes from PTI Ramzan Surah 22935 votes and ANP 5261 votes on third slot while remaining result of 25 polling stations is still yet to come. 

Peshawar

PTI, JUIF and ANP won each seat in three tehsils out of seven tehsils of provincial capital Peshawar. 

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Zubair Ali has taken a lead over the ruling party for the Peshawar mayoral slot.

JUI-F Farid Khanullah became Mathura Tehsil Council Chairman with 22,000 votes and defeated JI Ifthikhar Ahmed with 15,844 votes. PPP stood on third while ruling party PTI candidate Mehmood Muhammad Ehtisham (brother of KP Assembly Deputy Speaker Mehmood Khan) stood fourth in the election race.

Peshtakhara Tehsil of provincial capital Peshawar, JUI-F Muhammad Haroon stood first with 9866 votes while PTI Abdul Jabbar is at 8839 votes as per the results of the 109 polling stations.

In an unfortunate incident, a successful candidate Zikriya fell victim of his own celebratory aerial firing. Police arrested various people on suspicion. 

Bajour 

In tehsil Khar of Bajour, PTI candidate Luqman was ahead with 2511 votes ahead of JUIF Syed Badshah who bagged 1514 votes.

DI Khan

In DI Khan’s tehsil Paharpur PPP candidate Makhdoom Altaf Shah won the seat by taking 27,563 votes. The independent candidate supported by JUI-F was second with 23,386 votes.

JI candidate Ehsan ullah Khan won with 15998 votes defeating PTI Babar Badshah who bagged only 8956. 

Lakki Marwat 

Independent candidates' won three seats out of four tehsils of the district Lakki Marwat while JI is on the lead on the reaming tehsil seat.    

As per unofficial Tehsil Council Lakki Marwat results, ANP Asif ullah was leading from PMLN Allah Noor candidate.

KP ministers tell why PTI defeated!

Minister Labour and Culture Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Sahukat Ali Yousafzai revealed the reason ruling PTI tasted defeat in KP polls. He said ‘inflation’ is the main reason for losing ground in KP. Yousafzai said that inflation will be controlled before the 2023 general elections.

“It is good that no corruption allegations were put against PTI,” he added. 

Another minister Atif Khan said also termed inflation the prime reason of defeat in local bodies polls. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF9SCX9lSNU

Earlier, the polling in the first round of Local government elections marred by the incidents of violence and irregularities in 17 districts of KP came to an end at 5 pm on Sunday and the process of vote counting was underway.

The election staff closed the doors of the polling stations. However, they allowed people who were inside the booths to cast their votes.

However, reports poured in that at a polling station set up at Government Girls Primary School, Zargarabad, Peshawar, people refused to leave the polling station even after the end of the balloting time. They kept on scaling the walls of the school to poll their votes.

The next phase of LB elections will be held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa next month.

For the first round, the polling started at 8 am and continued till 5 pm.

Strict security arrangements were in place as a total of 79,479 police and other law enforcement agencies personnel were deployed in the 17 districts where the voting was taking place. Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshehra and Peshawar were among the 17 districts.

However, voting for the election of Dera Ismail Khan mayor city council was deferred after the murder of ANP candidate Umar Khatab in an armed attack on Saturday morning. The security in DI Khan and nearby districts was beefed up following the murder.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), 12.66 million voters are registered across the 17 districts with 7. 015 million male voters and 5.653 million female voters.

As many as 37,752 candidates were in the run for different categories in the first phase of the elections. Among these 689 were in the run to lead the city and tehsil councils while 19,285 candidates were in the run for the slot of general councillors, chairmen in village and neighbourhood councils.

Besides, 3,905 candidates were flexing their muscles for the seats for women councillors, 7513 for peasant councillors, 6081 for youth councillors and 282 for minority councillors.

As many as 876 women councillors have already been elected unopposed in different village and neighbourhood councils across the province. A large number of minority councillors have been elected unopposed.

A total of 9,223 polling stations and 28,892 polling booths have been set up for Sunday's voting.

Of these, 2,507 polling stations have been declared most sensitive, 4,188 sensitive, while 528 have been categorized as normal. As many as 860 polling stations have been designated as sensitive, 165 as most sensitive, and 224 as normal in the provincial capital. Around 11,000 policemen and personnel of other forces have been deployed for security during polling in Peshawar alone.

This is for the first time that LG polls are being held in districts of erstwhile Fata.

Political parties have fielded candidates for almost all seats and at least 17 candidates are competing for the mayorship of Peshawar.

By our KP correspondents