May 30 LG polls: ECP K-P chapter told to indicate security needs

Commission says there will be a total of 11,117 polling stations in the province

ISLAMABAD:

Security being a major concern, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday asked its K-P chapter to submit details of security requirements for next month’s local government elections in the province.

The ECP held a meeting at its headquarters to review arrangements for the LG polls scheduled on May 30 in K-P. Besides provincial election commissioner, representatives of ministry of defence, Frontier Constabulary and army personnel also attended the meeting.

Secretary ECP Babar Yaqoob told the media after the meeting that there will be a total of 11,117 polling stations with 30,377 polling booths across the province.

During the upcoming K-P polls a total of 39,806 seats for village and neighbourhood councils and 3,052 for tehsil councils are being contested in 24 districts of the province. Kohistan district is not going for the LG polls due to some litigation on bifurcation of the district.

A total of 103,522 candidates filed their nomination papers of which 93,231 are in the run right after the scrutiny of the papers. Candidates can still withdraw their nominations by May 5, a day before final list of contestants is to be issued. A total of 72 million ballot papers will be required which will be sent for printing once the list of contestants is finalised.

The secretary also said all the institutions including ministry of defence have assured the commission that they are ready to assist the ECP in conducting peaceful LG polls in K-P.

He stated that army will be deployed at the polling stations declared extra-sensitive. However, decision on number of troops to be deployed will be taken once polling schemes are finalised by the returning officers and they send their requirements.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2015.