Even though Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) had maintained a strong alliance in Khyber Phukhtunkhwa (KP), the leaders of both parties failed to keep a civil relationship with leaders of other parties.
The failure to maintain an alliance with other political forces may prove to be beneficial for rival political parties in the province, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
While candidates of ANP and PPP had faced one another in the 2008 general elections, this time each of these candidates will face several other opponents contesting for the same seat.
In 2008 general elections, four out of eight national assemblies seats from Peshawar, Nowshehra and Charsada was won by ANP, three by PPP and one by former PPP-Sherpao, now renamed as Quami Watan Party (QMP). Furthermore, ANP had won 14 out of 22 provincial assembly seats; six went to PPP and two to QWP.
Now, however, ANP, PPP, JUI-F, Jamaat Islami and several other parties announced names of its candidates from all eight national and 22 provincial assembly constituencies in Peshawar division, which also comprises Nowshehra and Charsada districts.
The PPP leadership had pleased all of its former MPAs by awarding them election tickets whereas ANP had made changes in its candidates and two former MNAs from Peshawar were replaced by new faces. In Charsada, ANP nominated young Taimoor Khan against former federal interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao. Taimoor Khan was an MPA in outgoing parliament.
So far there is no any election alliance amongst any of five big political parties at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, hobnobbing amongst leaders of JUI-F, PML-N, PTI and JI are in progress for a seat-to-seat adjustment.
However, failure to forge an electoral alliance may prove to be beneficial for PPP and ANP who have had a strong opposition in Peshawar valley.
Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao’s QWP has been a threat to ANP in half of Charsada. However, Pervez Khattak and Iqbal Hussain Khattak’s slipping to PTI has already uprooted QWP in Nowshehra district.
Both coalition partners have suffered some damage as well. Earlier, ANP lost some of its heavyweights like Hasham Babar and Fazal Shakoor. At the same time, while PPP has pitted strong candidates in the previous election, it currently has a weak constituency in Charsada.
