Save the date: LG polls on May 30 in K-P

Results to be announced on June 10.

PESHAWAR/ LAKKI MARWAT: The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced local government (LG) elections in the province will be held on May 30. According to a schedule issued on Tuesday, candidates will be expected to file nomination papers between April 13 and April 17.

“The ECP will scrutinise the nomination papers from April 20 until April 25,” stated the schedule. “Appeals against the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers will be entertained from April 26 to April 28. All appeals will be disposed of by May 4.”

Nomination papers can be withdrawn on May 5 and the final list will be made public on May 6.  Results of the elections will be announced on June 10.

Town system

Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan announced the provincial government will restore the town administration system in Peshawar for the polls.

Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the United Municipal Workers Union (UMWU) at Shahi Bagh, Khan said, “The government will reintroduce the four administrative towns in Peshawar. However, the tehsil municipal administration will remain intact in other parts of the province.”

“The Local Government Act 2013 will be imposed over the next few days,” he said. “The new legislation is very similar to the local government system introduced in 2001.”

Khan added, “The local bodies’ elections will be held on a non-party basis at the village council level while elections at the tehsil and district council levels will be held on a party basis.” In neighborhood councils, chairmen will be elected on a non-party basis.

The LG minister said the province has been divided into 3,500 village councils and neighborhood councils. Village councils will be for a population of 2,000 to 100,000 people while neighbourhood councils for 6,000 to 15,000 people, he said.

Cantonment boards

The filing of nomination papers for Cantonments in K-P continued on Tuesday. Elections in Cantonments will take place on April 25 and the nomination process will continue till March 31. For the purpose of delimitation, Cantt Peshawar comprises of five wards. Election commission officials said, one councilor will be elected from each ward.

Alliance

According to Khan, a tripartite alliance of JI, PTI and AJIP is likely to be formed to contest LG poll.

Meanwhile, leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami met various representatives of the Saifullah family in Lakki Marwat on Tuesday to strike a deal for the local bodies’ elections. JI representatives voiced their intentions to include PTI, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Ideological and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami in the alliance. Both sides agreed to establish contacts with leaders of these parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2015.