COUNTING UNDERWAY AFTER POLLING ENDS IN LARGELY PEACEFUL COUNTRYWIDE CANTONMENT ELECTIONS

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ISLAMABAD, SEPT 12 –The counting of votes is underway after polling ended for election on 206 general seats in as many wards of 39 cantonment boards across the country.

No major incidents of violence or disruption were reported in what was the first electoral contest at the grassroots level between arch political rivals since the 2018 general elections. Polling started at 8am and continued without any break till 5pm.

More than 1,500 candidates fielded by all leading political parties are vying for the 206 seats, but the main battle was expected among the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), PML-N and PPP.

Nationalist and religious parties, including the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), are also in the field with a good number of candidates in all the four provinces. Interestingly, all the parties participated in the elections without forming any alliance.

There are 219 wards in 42 cantonment boards all over the country, but no polling was scheduled in any of the nine wards of Kamra, Cherat and Murree Gallies cantonments, where either the candidates have been elected unopposed or polling has been postponed. Besides, there were no elections in four other wards of various cantonment boards where candidates have already returned unopposed.