PESHAWAR - Among the total six candidates only JUI-F has fielded its contender, while other four are independently taking part in the by-elections on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituency PK-70, Bannu, scheduled for August 28. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of Ziad Akram Durrani, the son of former chief minister and opposition leader in KP assembly Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani.
Total number of registered voters in the constituency is 124,938, of whom 75241 are male and 49697 female.
About 102 poling stations along with 249 polling booths have been set up for the by-polls, of the four polling stations have been declared sensitive.
JUI-F candidate Irfanullah Khan Durrani is the cousin of late lawmaker Ziad Akram Durrani. He is the only candidate who is taking part in the election by representing a political party as the remaining four others aspirants who are also trying their luck are independent.
The seat of PK 70 Bannu has mostly been with the JUI-F. Late, Ziad Akram Durrani, who died of cardiac arrest, had won the seat by a big margin in the 2008 general election.
The candidates of the PML-Nawaz and PPP have already withdrawn their nomination papers in support of the JUI-F candidate.
The Provincial Election Commission has issued the final list of candidates. Besides, Irfanullah Khan Durrani of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, the other contestants are Malik Mohammad Ashfaq, Malik Saadullah Khan, Zafar Ali Khan, Sadiqur Rehman and Rehmatullah alias Kaka Jan.
In the past, the constituency of PK-70 was won by former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani. Being a chief executive, Akram Durrani had completed various development works, thus, his party’s position in the constituency is strong.
Regional Election Commissioner Kohat Mohammad Yousaf Khan Khattak has been nominated as District Returning Officer and District Election Commissioner Bannu Ghulam Sarwar as Returning Officer.
It is worth mentioning here that PK-70-Bannu is the very first constituency where elections would be held using the new electoral rolls in Pakistan.