SWABI, Aug 11: No female candidate has filed nomination papers for any of the 20 seats reserved for women in 10 union councils of the Swabi district. Sources in the election commission said that all seats for Muslim (women) and peasant/workers (women) in the union councils of Bamkhel and Adina were likely to remain uncontested as no female candidate had filed their nomination papers for them.

A candidate for nazim in the Bamkhel union council said there were no restrictions on women, yet they had shown no interest in the election process.

“Our social structure is such that we cannot ask men to allow female members of their families to contest the election,” he said.

In the Adina union council jirga members and candidates are in agreement that women should not be allowed to contest the election.

Against three seats in the Shewa union council, one female candidate filed nomination papers and returned unopposed. Though no jirga was held there to bar women from poll, elders are against women participation in politics.

Two seats each in the Kalabat and Naranji union councils are likely to remain vacant and one each in Kota, Kunda, Maneri Payan, Zaida and Jalbai union council.

Meanwhile, 48 minority seats out of a total 55 are likely to remain vacant in the district owing to non-availability of candidates.

ANP CANDIDATES: Majority of the candidates in different union council for the post of nazim belong to the Awami National Party (ANP), a survey revealed.