Unofficial results: PTI takes lead over rival in Peshawar repoll

PML-N stands second with three UC seats as counting continues

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has secured seven district council seats more than twice the number bagged by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Peshawar, according to unofficial preliminary results of the re-elections held in the 356 polling stations across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Thursday.

Both the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were still without a seat till our going to the press.

DRO Riaz Mehsud said that in Peshawar re-elections were held in at least 29 polling stations and official results will be issued in a few days as outcomes are awaited from far-flung areas.

In Charsadda, incomplete results were trickling in where re-polling took place in 45 polling stations in 16 UCs.

Unofficially, the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and PTI alliance was in the lead in the district. The QWP won in Sherpao UC by defeating the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) candidate by one vote, the party was also leading in Daragai UC.

With these unofficial results, QWP now has 12 seats and JUI-F has six. The ANP and JUI-F alliance now holds 23 seats.

In Mansehra, four union councils’ seats out of five in the district, PTI candidate Mushtaq Khan won the seat from Mahandri UC, securing 4,804 votes.

From Karnol and Garhi UCs, the PML-N candidates returned successful while in Hangrai UC, independent candidate Sardar Ghani won the seat.

In Abbottabad, out of five polling stations, the PTI candidates were ahead of the PML-N in three union councils while the results from two others are still awaited.

In Mardan, the PTI has 30 seats out of 75 general seats. However, its competitor, the opposition alliance of ANP, JUI-F and PPP has 35 seats at the district level. The PML-N has two seats at the district level.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2015.