MARDAN, July 30: Election campaign in the district has gained pace as relatives, supporters and political parties backing the candidates have intensified canvassing. In the 75 union councils in the district, 307 panels for nazims and naib nazims and 1,270 candidates for councillors are in the field.

The Awami National Party is backing the Watan Dost group, the People’s Party parliamentarians the Awam Dost group, the Jamaat-i-Islami the Al Khidmat group and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam the Islam Dost group. The few candidates of the PPP (Sherpao), the JUI (Sami), the Pakistan Muslim League and the PML (Nawaz) are contesting on their own behalf.

About 380 councillors (general) and 27 women councillors have been elected unopposed. The Awam Dost group has claimed fielding 58 panels for the posts of nazims and naib nazims.

The Al Khidmat group has fielded 38 panels for the posts of nazims and naib nazims and 113 candidates for councillors (general), 50 for workers and peasants’ seats, 45 for women’s seats and 40 for women workers and councillors’ seats.

The Islam Dost group has fielded 71 panels for the posts of nazim and naib nazim. The groups will finalize the lists of their candidates after the completion of the hearing of appeals against acceptance and rejection of nomination papers.