Chief Minister
PESHAWAR: Ali Amin Gandapur, a prominent leader from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who contested the recent polls as an independent candidate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), secured victory as the province’s new chief minister after the conclusion of voting in the KP Assembly on Friday.
In a notable turn of events, Gandapur, who contested independently after the Supreme Court stripped the PTI of its electoral symbol, clinched the chief ministerial position with a significant mandate. He secured 90 votes out of 106 in the assembly, while his opponent, PML-N’s Ibadullah Khan, garnered 16 votes.
Gandapur’s journey to the chief ministerial role saw him contesting as an independent candidate after the majority of PTI-backed lawmakers joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). Despite the challenges, Gandapur’s decision to remain independent was influenced by the PTI’s intra-party election, where he submitted nomination papers for the party’s provincial president.
Imran Khan, the founder of PTI, had nominated Gandapur as the party’s candidate for the leader of the house in KP. The support from the Sunni Ittehad Council played a crucial role in Gandapur’s successful bid for the chief minister position.
Gandapur, a former federal minister for Kashmir affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, served during the PTI government at the Centre from October 2018 to April 2022. He has a political history, having been a member of the KP Assembly from 2013 to 2018, where he also held the position of provincial minister for revenue.
His opponent, Ibadullah Khan, formerly a member of the National Assembly, served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of Communications. The KP Assembly’s maiden session included the oath-taking of newly-elected lawmakers, followed by the election of PTI-backed Babar Saleem Swati as speaker and Suriya Bibi as deputy speaker.
Gandapur’s victory marks a significant development in KP’s political landscape, highlighting the complex dynamics within the PTI and the electoral challenges faced by its candidates.
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