As the nation gears up for the general elections, preparations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have reached their culmination, with more than half of the polling stations declared sensitive.

Provincial Election Commissioner Shamshad Khan, in a media briefing held in Peshawar, announced that all necessary arrangements for the elections slated for February 8 have been finalized.

Polling stations and voters

A total of 15,696 polling stations have been established across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, catering to approximately 21.93 million eligible voters. Highlighting the gender distribution, Commissioner Khan revealed that there are 11,944,383 registered male voters and 8,373,799 female voters in the province.

Furthermore, 4,810 polling stations have been designated for male voters, 4,287 for female voters, and 6,600 polling stations will serve both genders jointly.

In terms of staffing, Commissioner Shamshad Khan disclosed that over 181,000 polling staff members have been appointed and trained to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process. Following the conclusion of polling, results will be issued on Form 45, EMS online, and offline, facilitating transparent and efficient result dissemination.

Candidates

With 713 candidates vying for National Assembly seats and 1,814 candidates contesting for Provincial Assembly seats, a total of 454.4 million ballot papers have been printed for the election.

Security measures have been intensified, with the deployment of police, Frontier Constabulary, and Pakistan Army personnel to safeguard the polling process.

As the election campaign draws to a close, Commissioner Shamshad Khan urged citizens to exercise their democratic right and participate in the electoral process on February 8. He emphasized the significance of voter turnout in shaping the future of the country, assuring that arrangements have been made even in snow-covered regions to facilitate voting.

For the convenience of voters, arrangements for result announcements have been made at Qayyum Stadium, Eidgah, and the RO Office on Kohat Road in Peshawar, with military deployment to ensure security during the process.