As many as four candidates have submitted their nomination papers for the election of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to be held on Monday.

The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has fielded Sohail Afridi, while three opposition candidates — Maulana Lutfur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Sardar Shah Jehan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Arbab Zarak of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — have also entered the race.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session is scheduled to begin at 10 am on Monday to elect the new chief minister following the resignation of Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur. The nomination process was completed on Sunday.

Accompanied by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Deputy Speaker Surayya Bibi, and other government members, Afridi submitted two sets of nomination papers to the assembly secretary.

On the opposition side, the three candidates jointly filed their nomination papers, accompanied by former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani and other opposition legislators. The deadline for submitting nomination papers was set for 3 pm on Sunday. After scrutiny by the Speaker, all four nomination papers were declared valid.

According to assembly sources, candidates may withdraw their nominations before the start of Monday’s session. Opposition sources indicated that Maulana Lutfur Rehman could emerge as the joint opposition candidate, though Sardar Shah Jehan’s name is also under consideration.

The opposition parties are expected to finalise their joint candidate at a meeting before the session.

Who are the main contenders for the K-P CM slot?

PTI’s nominee for K-P chief minister office, Sohail Afridi, began his political journey in 2007 as a member of the Insaf Students Federation (ISF), the student wing of the party. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Peshawar.

Afridi also served as the provincial minister for higher education in the cabinet of outgoing CM Gandapur and was elected as a member of the provincial assembly (MPA) from PK-70, District Khyber, in the February 8 general elections.

He belongs to the Shalobar Qambar Khel tribe of Khyber district and is known within PTI as a young leader with strong party connections and influence.

Throughout his political career, Afridi has held several key positions within PTI. As a student, he was among the founding members of ISF, and in 2012, he was elected president of ISF Peshawar District. Two years later, in 2014, he became president of ISF Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Afridi completed his BS (Honours) in Economics from the University of Peshawar in 2012 and began his MPhil in Economics in 2014. However, he could not complete the degree due to his active participation in PTI’s 126-day sit-in in Islamabad. Later, he successfully completed his coursework and defended his thesis.

Rising steadily through PTI’s youth ranks, Afridi was elected president of the Insaf Youth Wing for Peshawar Region in 2019, and later president of the Insaf Youth Wing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2022, a position he still holds.

Maulana Lutfur Rehman is the brother of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He served as the leader of the opposition in the previous Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Although the opposition parties have jointly submitted the nomination papers of three candidates, Lutfur Rehman appears to be the strongest contender, while the other two candidates are likely to withdraw from the race before the start of the assembly session.

Latest party position in the K-P Assembly

The K-P Assembly consists of 145 members while the composition shows a clear dominance of independent members backed by the PTI, positioning the party to win the slot of leader of the house with ease.

According to the latest figures, 92 independent members, aligned with PTI, make up the largest bloc in the assembly. Among political parties, the JUI-F and PML-N hold 18 seats each.

The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians has 10 members, while the Awami National Party holds four seats. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians, a splinter group, occupies three seats.