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The political landscape in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, has seen a significant transformation since the 2013 elections, marked by the unprecedented dominance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) across three consecutive elections. This study explores the dynamics of party identification with specific relevance to the Peshawar Valley of KP, focusing on the role of family socialization, peer group interactions, political party performance, leadership, and political campaigns. Data from 1196 respondents in the Peshawar Valley were analyzed using multiple regression with SmartPLS. The findings indicate that traditional familial and peer influences on party identification are weakening, while instrumental factors like political leadership and campaigns have a substantial impact. PTI's success is attributed to its effective use of social media and charismatic leadership, emphasizing the shift towards leader-centric and campaign-driven party support. This shift reflects a weakening of traditional partisan alignments and a growing reliance on dynamic political factors in shaping voter behavior.
Zaman et al. (Wed,) studied this question.