The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced its final verdict on the allocation of reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, granting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) an additional reserved seat. This decision comes after the ECP accepted PML-N’s petition seeking a constitutional revision of how these seats are distributed among political parties.
According to the new allocation, PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) will each now hold nine reserved seats in the KP Assembly, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been awarded five. Additionally, PTI-Parliamentarians (PTI-P) and Awami National Party (ANP) have each secured one more seat.
Beyond the women’s reserved seats, PML-N has also gained a minority reserved seat in the assembly. However, a coin toss will decide who gets another contested minority seat between PML-N and JUI-F, as both parties are equally eligible under the current distribution.
Similarly, the 26th women’s reserved seat in the KP Assembly is yet to be allocated, as both PTI-P and ANP have equal claims. The ECP has ruled that this too will be resolved by a coin toss.
This development further strengthens PML-N’s representation in KP’s provincial legislature and reflects ongoing shifts in reserved seat allocations, which play a critical role in shaping parliamentary dynamics.
The ECP’s verdict not only impacts the balance of power in the assembly but also highlights the complexities of Pakistan’s reserved seat system, where close counts often lead to unusual measures like coin tosses to finalize representation.
