In a stunning turn of events, the election in Peshawar’s Mathra tehsil witnessed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gaining more than double the number of votes against five other political parties.
Despite various challenges, the PTI surpassed all expectations, securing a remarkable victory. In contrast, the JUI-F lost substantial ground, receiving only 13,564 votes compared to the 22,000 votes they had secured in the last elections. Despite having its own governor in the province, the party suffered a deficit of 8,436 votes. Comparing the data from the previous local body elections and the recent by-election, the PTI demonstrated its growing popularity and standing by garnering more than twice the number of votes of the five rival political parties, despite serious odds.
In the previous elections, the PTI candidate had garnered 9,681 votes. This time, PTI managed to secure an impressive 20,333 votes, which stands10,625 votes higher than the previous election. Similarly, the vote bank of other political parties has also significantly dwindled, reaching a remarkably low level.
In the last election, JUI-F candidates won with 22,000 votes, but in this by-election, JUI-F only managed to secure 13,564 votes - 8,436 votes fewer than last time.
Similarly, Jamaat-e-Islami failed to gain the trust of the people this time around. In the previous election, they received 15,844 votes, but in this by-election, only 9,546 - facing a shortfall of 6,298 votes.
The Awami National Party (ANP) also witnessed a decline in their vote count, receiving 5,748 fewer votes compared to the previous election in the tehsil.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) received 4,455 fewer votes, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured 3,058 votes less.
Moreover, the voter turnout in the by-election decreased significantly, with a turnout of 26% compared to the 44% recorded in the previous election.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2023.
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