DIR: A close contest is expected between Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Awami National Party (ANP) as voting for by-polls is underway in PK-95 of the Lower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa (KPK) province of Pakistan.
The seat lied vacant after resignation of Jamaat Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq after becoming Senator.
Izazul Mulk Afkari of the JI and ANP’s Haji Bahadur Khan are major candidate in the by-election.
Total number of registered voters in the constituency is 140,743.As many as 85 polling stations have been setup for casting of votes.in the constituency.
Strict security measures have been put in place while 33 polling stations have been declared sensitive. Around 2,300 policemen would perform duty on the polling day.
Afkari is the Lower Dir president for JI and has been a student leader. He is relatively young and active as a party loyalist. While Bahadur Khan of ANP is a former MPA.
Both the parties have strong vote bank in the constituency. However, the PTI vote bank would play a decisive role in the results of the polls.
Political observers say the by-election would have strong impact on the local government elections being held on May 30.
