Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) bagged a major win in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local government (KP LG) polls held on Sunday.
Important to note, during the first phase of KP local government elections in December 2021, authorities suspended polling in many districts due to riots and a deteriorating law and order situation. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conducted a re-polling on Sunday in 13 districts.
The 13 districts include Charsadda, Nowshera, Khyber, Mohmand, Mardan, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Buner, Bajaur, and Peshawar.
According to the results, PTI candidate Umar Amin Gundapur won 63,753 votes in Dera Ismail Khan (DIK). He defeated JUI-F candidate Mohammad Kafeel Ahmed who managed to get 38,891 votes. As a result, Umar Amin won the contest for the DIK tehsil mayor slot. Interestingly, the JUIF candidate lost in the home constituency of party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Read more: Senate Polls schedule to be announced today: Will PTI win maximum seats?
As per reports, PTI candidates in six constituencies won the elections while JUIF bagged 4 seats, and ANP and Jamat-e-Islami won one seat each.
Huge Breaking News!
PTI clean sweeps all 3 Tehsils from Karak after winning Tehsil Takht e Nasrati it trailed on 19th December's elections!
Complete Result
PTI 19,378
IND 19,146
JUIF 17,762 pic.twitter.com/gf7eSY95Up— PTI Politics. (@PTIPoliticsss) February 14, 2022
شکریہ ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان! ڈیرہ پاکستان تحریک انصاف کا! #ہوگئی_انصاف_کی_جیت pic.twitter.com/pIVnPcoIEg
— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 13, 2022
Reacting to the win, Federal Minister Asad Umar scoffed at JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman over defeat in DIK. Asad Umar, in a Tweet said that Maulana is not even capable of maintaining a victory in his hometown and is going to dislodge the government. To clarify, Maulana Fazl is actively campaigning with PML-N and PPP to bring a no-trust move against the government.
گھر سنبھل نہیں رہا اور مولانا حکومت گرانے نکلے ہیں. پہلے جنرل الیکشن اور اب مقامی حکومت الیکشن میں تحریک انصاف کے ہاتھوں گھر کے حلقے میں شکست. زبردست علی امین گنڈاپور. چھا گیا چیتا
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) February 13, 2022
Needless to say, the win is a massive boost of confidence for PTI since it faced a defeat in the LG elections of last year.
PTI gears up for second phase of KP LG polls
In the first phase of KP elections, JUI-F won in 16 tehsil council seats out of 64 while the PTI won in 14. The setback caused PTI quite the embarrassment as it lost in the region where it has a stronghold. Furthermore, the defeat also resulted in many taunts and criticism from the Opposition.
“PTI made mistakes in 1st phase of KP LG elections & paid the price. Wrong candidate selection was a major cause,” PM Khan had said.
However, the recent victory may become a turning point for PTI. Pertinent to mention, taking lessons from PTI’s earlier defeat, PM Khan personally took charge of devising a strategy for the second phase of elections. According to reports, he will finalize the names of the PTI candidates for the second phase of elections.
Read more: PM Khan still hopeful as he accepts defeat in KP LG polls?