HARIPUR: As many as 47 candidates have filed their nomination papers for 13 vacant seats of different village councils across the district, official sources at the office of district election commissioner told Dawn here on Friday.

There were 13 seats of general and youth councillors declared vacant by the election commission after either the death or resignation by the office-holders in village councils Najaf Pur, Barkot, Banda Munir Khan, City No 8 Haripur, Bajeeda, Sirya, Kakotri, Teer, Shah Mohammad, Akhun Bandi, Neelan Bhoto, Khalabat II and Pandak.

Official sources at the office of returning officer said that during the nomination papers’ filling process a total of 47 candidates confirmed their candidature for 13 seats.

They said there were only three candidates in the run for two seats of youth councillor while 44 were contesting 11 seats of general councillors.

The sources said in village council Najaf Pur only one candidate had filed papers for the seat of youth councillor which was likely to go uncontested.

During scrutiny of papers held on Thursday and Friday, two more candidates, one each from village council Akhun Bandi and Neelan Bhoto, got out of the race as their papers were rejected on technical grounds. The objections on the papers would be accepted on Monday and Tuesday. The polling will be held on Dec 21.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2017